Resistance
by Preston-Tour
Summary: "I will never let you into these Halls. You will never get the Stone. You will never get to Paris. You will never take the Vampire Spirit. We will always resist. We will always fight. We will never surrender. Even in Death may we Vampires be Triumphant!"
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"I wont ask again, Mika. Open this door!"

Mika Ver Leth spat blood upon the stone floor before the Hall of Princes, the dome seeming to no longer hum and buzz as it used to. Perhaps it was the presence of the vampaneze which had made the pulsing chamber loses its natural life filled throb. Vampaneze in Vampire Mountain…

Mika couldn't believe Kurda had done this, had brought such evil into the Vampire strong hold. His heart flitted with rage, sadness and grief all at once. His investiture had been but days away and he had betrayed them. Now, here he was, outside the Hall of Princes, on his knees before two of the biggest purple bastards he had ever seen, ordered to open the Hall and allow them to access the Stone of Blood.

His sharp eyes caught the decapitated head of his fellow Prince, Arrow. Tears welled in Mika's eyes at the death of his friend. He refused so strongly and proudly, cursing these fiends for breaking the truce as the axe swung to his neck.

"No," Mika growled, "I will never let you into these Halls. You will never get the Stone. You will never get to Paris. You will never take the Vampire Spirit. We will always resist. We will always fight. We will never surrender." Mika felt a cruel grin creep across his sombre face at the frustration in the vampaneze' eyes.

"Then you are a very foolish vampire," the vampaneze whom had slain Arrow grunted, swinging his axe down towards the youngest Prince in history as he roared at the top of his voice;

"Even in Death may we Vampires be Triumphant!"

_**17 years later…**_

Darren woke with a start, fear flooding through him for a brief second before simmering when he saw that the four coffins within his small chamber had closed lids; Mr Crepsley, Seba Nile, Gavner Purl and Arra Sails had returned from yet another day labouring. A soft smile spread across the grubby boy's face as he climbed from the coffin in which he had slept, his greasy hair flopping over his eyes.

Seventeen years had passed since Mika and Arrow's valiant deaths, since Kurda had led the vampaneze into the mountain, since the Vampaneze took command of the whole clan. Darren still shuddered as he recalled his trial being interrupted by a bloody scream from the guards and the hundreds of purple skinned beasts which had swarmed into the arena through every crack and crevasse they could find.

Since that day, many changes had occurred for the Clan, none of them good. The Mountain was never built to house over seven hundred vampires let alone the entire vampaneze clan on top of that. As a result, The vampires were forced to quintuple the rooms and were literally living on top of each other giving a new name to the hall of Residence; The Ghetto Halls. Vampires whom were still outside of the mountain were considered lucky, isolated by their kin and with no form of governing. As loyal vampires did, however, many had returned to serve the vampaneze with their friends.

Darren rummaged in the cupboards in search of room's rations, pulling out a few slices of bread and a small block of cheese he and Arra had smuggled whilst working in the kitchen. Lighting a fire in the stove beside Gavner's coffin, he began making cheese toasties, giggling to himself at how human and childish that meal was.

Darren was far from a child now though; he was older, broader, the situation and environmental factors having contributed to his sudden growth spout. The makings of a young man were evident in him as he looked to be perhaps fifteen now, sixteen when he dressed in his workers kitchen uniform.

"Darren?" a weak but familiar voice called from within the coffin beside Darren's. Wincing, Darren left his toast and slowly lifted the pal of Seba's coffin. The elderly vampire looked terrible, emaciated and frail; his bald scalp and shaven beard made him unrecognizable to the vampire Darren had met when he first arrived. What was worse was that he had contracted some form of disease from the blood the Vampaneze handed out; his immune system had long since abandoned him and it was now just a matter of days, weeks or months will the old vampire copped it from exhaustion or even a minor flu. "Darren…I think I…am going to die," he croaked, taking the lad's hand in his shaking and cold hand.

Darren never argued but nodded, seeing that vacant look in his eyes which Gavner and Larten spoke of when they returned from labourer work. "Would you like me to wake Larten?" Darren whispered softly, lifting the old man slightly to sort his pillow so that he would be comfortable for the final voyage.

"No," Seba coughed violently, spitting bloody mucus from his longs upon his blanket, "I want…no …fuss. I…want you…to…lay me…back…give me…my cloak… and…close the ….coffin."

Darren nodded sombrely and did as asked, handing Seba his beloved red cloak and slowly closing the old man's coffin. "Goodbye, Seba,"

"Good luck…Master Shan," Seba croaked from under the wooden box, "Tell…Larten…. I…love… him….."

Tearlessly, so used to death, Darren returned to the toast for his comrades before they bid farewell for the day for yet more heavy manual labour.

**So R&R please (: This is my first fanfiction so I'd really like a few reviews just to see if I should give up or not xD**

**Seriously though, Reviews would be appreciated. If I get a few then I'll post the next chapter later on –it's almost finished! :D- but if you didn't like it then no worries (:**

**Preston (:**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

Larten sighed as he studied the body of his mentor. The cold corpse would need to be stripped of materials which he and his friends could use themselves to survive a little longer.

_Survival_… Larten couldn't believe it had come to this, his best friend, his ex and his assistant all living around each other, stripping a poor old man of the clothes he wore on his death bed in a bid for them to last a few more years. _**If**_ they could last a few more years that was. Both he and Gavner had shaven their hair clean off to reduce having to constantly pick mud and grit from their locks after digging in the tunnels. Nolonger were they as fit and strong either. Larten had never felt this weak since becoming a vampire. Physically his bony legs dragged –he highly doubted he could flit anymore-, his once strong and powerful stance was now a slumped stoop from frequent bending and his once toned abs and arms were stick thin and flabby where muscle was being digested for energy. Gavner fared no better. Their work was gruelling, it had claimed hundreds now –_Seba's life included_- and Larten knew that it would claim him sooner rather than later.

"Gavner," he said softly, "What size of shoe do you take?"

The bald man who sat slumped over the stove looked up, licking the melted cheese from the top of his toasted slice of bread. "Size six or seven at a push," he answered then added with a smirk and a wink, "I'm small footed but the rest of me is all good where it counts."

Larten couldn't help but laugh at that, though Darren didn't seem to understand. The young half vampire looked at Gavner for an explanation but the ex General was in kinks over Darren's innocence and so continued to laugh at the bewildered boy. Gavner never failed to lose hope, keeping the morale of the group at an all-time high which was fundamental.

"Seba took a size eight which you could probably swap for a smaller size," Larten nodded, pulling his mentor's heavy boots from his lifeless feet and throwing them at his friend, "Or you could stuff them with toilet paper."

Gavner took the shoes then looked at his own, his toes wiggling out of the side and the sole having literally been eroded from the walking he did in work. He threw his old pair of boots off and pulled on the new, smirking at his friend, "I think I have grown a size, Larten!"

"The ladies will be most please to here you are no longer inadequate where it counts," Larten commented dryly, the edges of his lips fighting a smile.

"Pfft. Your feet can't be_ that_ _much_ bigger than mine. What size do you take?" Gavner frowned.

"Eleven,"

Gavner grumbled, "Yeah, well, that feet to length myth is just that; a myth," he grumbled, "Anyone who believes it is just an idiot."

"I don't understand!" Darren frowned, "What're you guys on about?"

At that, both Gavner and Larten began to laugh heartedly. It was moments like these in which Larten revelled in; this felt normal, the friendly banter between his friend and his assistant. Seba's death was truly horrendous but he had learnt from his mentor not to threat over or mourn the dead...

"_Crying will not bring your cousin back, Master Crepsley," Seba sighed, stroking the back of the sobbing human child, ruffling his orange hair as he wept for his cousin. They had travelled for a good few days without the orange haired boy saying anything to him and Seba had been growing worried till Larten finally dropped to the floor in sobs and tears, releasing what was bottled up in side._

"_I-I-I-I- miss him so muh-muh-muh-much," Larten wept, burying his head into his hands as shudders of distress rippled through his young, developing body._

"_Aye, and you always will but crying will change nothing. Destiny is cruel that way. All you can do for Vur is lead a good life in his memory, express happiness when the going is tough, live a virtuous life and never regret what has already happened. That way you will continue to flourish and it will be in his name that you do."_

"We had best prepare to go to work, Gavner," Larten sighed, removing Seba's clothes and wrapping his naked body in the beloved red cloak he'd requested from Darren, "You saw how Marcel mutilated Bort yesterday for being late."

"Aye," Gavner whistled in memory of yesterday's events. Marcel was their boss, a cruel man with no tolerance for weak or shabby digging. It was Gavner and Larten's job, along with many other vampire men, to help with the creation of new tunnels and chambers to house the ever expanding Vampaneze clan. It was dangerous work; the reason that the vampires had rarely expanded the tunnels was due to the stability of the soil and rock. Already seven had perished in cave-ins and twelve to gas poisoning.

"I'd better wake Arra. We don't start for another hour I think," Darren commented. He and Arra worked in the kitchen, preparing food for the intrusive residents of Vampire Mountain as well as dishing out the rations to the other vampires. In a sense this job was good; both he and Arra were somewhat professional smugglers and were always hiding extra rations in their underwear for later. However, the role came with a few downsides. Darren's job was a potato peeler so was predominantly out of site but Arra was both a cook and a waitress. She was frequently subjected to wolf whistles, spanks and squeezes from the randy vampaneze. She was yet to tell the guys of her mistreatment; Larten would be livid, as would Gavner, and both would refuse to have her work for those curs. "See you guys later. Keep safe," he smiled and waved as Larten carried his mentor out of the room and leaving Seba at peace beside the door. He could see that a few other rooms had bodies left outside their respected residence; two vampires would carry the corpses off to the cremation centre.

Darren sighed and knocked on Arra's pal, hearing the familiar grumble. "Time for work," he contined knocking until the lid opened. A tired woman arose, her grease dark hair plastered to her forehead and black bags under her dimming grey eyes showed that she, like the men, was growing weary of her current life.

"Mornin' Shan," she yawned, stretching her starving frame before ravenously devouring her slice of cheese toast, "Ready for another day feeding the full and starving the hungry?" she asked in her usual sarcastic manner, licking her dirty finger nails for each and every crumb; they'd learnt that ever molecule of sustenance was vital in their survival.

"Yeah, 'guess so," Darren sighed, before fixing her with a sad expression, "Seba died last night. He didn't want me to wake you all but he fell asleep in that red cloak he wore in the battles he was in."

"A fitting ending for a noble vampire," Arra said then added in an emotionless tone, "Have you stripped the body?" Darren wished she was not so blunt with her questions; their friend and the oldest vampire in the mountain had just died –wither Paris was alive was still a mystery since he refused to open the hall of Princes from the inside after Mika and Arrow perished and the Hall of Princes itself prevented his mental signals being detected by his friends. Darren wished Arra could be a little more sensitive but in a way he was glad she, Larten and Gavner acted as though Seba's passing was nothing; it would otherwise mean they would be weakened by tears and grief.

"Yeah, Mr. Crepsley did it," Darren nodded to her earlier questions.

At that, Arra's expression softened for the briefest of moments before growing hard once more, "How did Larten take it?"

"Like a pro," Darren replied as he finished tying his boots and Arra finished her breakfast, "Come on. We're gonna be late and Glalda doesn't like it when we're late,"

With that, Arra nodded and followed Darren to the Kitchens for yet another lethally long shift of chopping, cooking, serving and abuse.

_**Later that day, in the Kitchens...**_

Glalda was pacing up and down the kitchen, snarling viciously as slamming his large purple paws upon the counters of anyone he believed to be slacking. Arra tried to keep her eyes off of him but was struggling. She hated this man with a fiery passion; no one turned her stomach more than he. Larten and Gavner never heard the half of the stories from work and she had asked Darren to keep it quiet but Glalda…Glalda was abusive to the women in the kitchen staff, particularly her and another vampiress named Carrie-Ann. Both women had established a close friendship since the day Glalda violated Carrie-Ann in the worse possible way, in the pantry. It was disgusting. **_He_** was disgusting. His stupid purple skin, big muscles, silly red birthmark, ugly big no-

"**Shan**!" Glalda suddenly yelled, causing Arra to snap from her day dream, attention shifting to the grubby teen with a potato in his hand and a very blunt knife in the other. She continued to dice fresh vegetables but her focus was on her puzzled and slightly scared looking friend.

"I want you to take the finest wine from the basement and take it to the Hall of Lords!" Glalda announced causing everyone in the kitchen to gasp; no vampire was ever allowed to set foot in the Vampaneze equivalent to the Hall of Princes. "We have a special visitor, you see. And Kurda wants him to have the finest wine possible." Darren bowed his head and did as ordered, grasping the oldest yet prettiest bottle he could find before presenting it back to Glalda to judge. "Aahh an excellent choice, Shan; Chateau Mouton-Rothschild Jeroboam is a gorgeous label. Destiny will love it!" he grinned wickedly at Darren but it wasn't Glalda's sharp white wolfish teeth that had frightened him.

Des Tiny was here, in the mountain, and where ever Destiny went disaster, loss, fear and loss ensued.

Swallowing his fear, whispering a silent goodbye to Arra, Darren took the bottle of wine carefully, cradelling it like a baby, and began the walk to the hall of Lords, terrified to the core.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three**

Darren nervously made his way along the dank, dark corridor, keeping his head low and the bottle of wine close to his chest. Everything felt so eerie and strange. He could remember his first and last Festival of the Undead; how full of life these winds and tunnels had been. He remembered watching his always somber mentor drunkenly stumbling towards him, a mug of ale in his hand as he tripped over his own spindly legs and smacked his face against the wall. Even now, as he approached the Vampaneze strong hold, Larten's bloody scraped nose and denial that he had been drunk still brought a boyish smile to Darren's lips.

Nearing the large oak doors of the Hall of Lords, its roars of axe wielding guards blocking the entrance, Darren suddenly felt that impulsive feeling he had done, back when he was still human, when he was standing in the playground with Steven Leopard, Tommy Jones and Allen Morris. He could feel that instinct he did when he closed his hand and grasped the Cirque du Freak ticket amongst the scraps of jotter paper. Since that day he'd always made a point of following these sudden drives he experienced but this was the first time he'd been terrified to do so. Instead of going through the heavy door, guarded by furiously strong vampaneze soldiers, Darren found himself suddenly wanting to take a left.

Wincing, he dithered on the spot, terrified to keep Kurda and Des Tiny waiting; the Vampaneze had no government but rather worked on unanimous votes to make their decisions but at the moment Kurda had become their somewhat Chancellor. It sickened Darren's stomach as he imagined his young friend in there with the monsters who had belittled and degraded the entire vampire was within that thought that Darren snarled. 'To hell with Kurda!' he thought, 'Mr Crepsley, Gavner and Arra deserve a good drink more than that traitor' Turning a sharp left, Darren followed his gut.

For a good few moments, Darren walked freely, enjoying the moment off work when suddenly he saw light at the end of the darkened corridor. Slowly he approached, hearing voices that were terrifyingly all too familiar. To Darren's horror, he realized he was perched on a stone built balcony, still being constructed due to the lack of chairs and rubble, over-looking the Hall of Lords and what was worse…_Kurda_ and **_Mr Des Tiny_** were sat upon an elevated platform before what must have been over seven hundred Vampaneze.

Carefully, Darren tucked himself behind a few large stones; his dirty face peeking over as he strained to hear what was being discussed. His heart was pounding fast. If they found him he was dead and his friends would have no idea where he was. From experience, people that went missing were the worst. Friends and family kept hope that their missing kin would return to them and in the end became almost zombie like, dead to the world in their longing for answers. Just imagining Mr Crepsley or Gavner or Arra acting like that over him terrified Darren.

"…wine delivered Mr Tiny but it seems the messenger's legged it with the good vintage," Kurda sighed, a ripple of laughter coming from the crowd who had gathered to witness Mr Tiny's presence. Darren's eyes fell to the stage, trying to keep as still as possible. He knew Mr Tiny briefly, but he wanted to know more.

"It's probably better we don't drink," Mr Tiny muttered, playing with that horrible heart shaped watch of his, "I'm here strictly on business then I must dash; a human is about to commit suicide and I want to be there to coax him into it," The vampaneze never laughed at that which surprised Darren; perhaps they, too, had a dislike for this time meddler like the Vampires seemed too?

"The podium is all yours," Kurda commented, clearly unnerved by Mr Tiny also.

"Very well, I'll keep this short and sweet," Mr Tiny grinned, "You are all in very real danger. In a year's time there will be a great war for this Mountain, one in which you shan't win," there was complete out-roar in the Hall but Mr Tiny continued with an evil grin, "A vampire will rise and lead an army against you and it will be your head, Kurda, that will roll before the battle is won."

"_Impossible!"_ someone yelled.

"_You're growing foolish, Tiny!"_

"_Vampires are subhuman, they're spirits are too broken to revolt!"_

Darren was on the edge of his seat, his eyes wide with hope and wonder. A vampire Army… He leaned even closer, desperate to hear everything, his eyes glued on Tiny. He felt like a child again, sat before his Grandpa and listening to the great stories he told him about war and wonder.

"The only way you stand any chance in defeating the vampires is if you successfully locate the Lord of the vampaneze. He or She could influence the course of the battle and you may win. But then again, you might not," he grinned wickedly.

"This vampire that will rise…who is he?" Kurda asked in a low, growling tone. Darren could see the frustration on his eyes; so much work about to be unwound, seventeen years of slavery of his people.

Tiny laughed deeply, eyes climbing the wall and catching Darren's face, not in the least bit surprised, staring with all the wisdom in the universe, "He is the Vampire King, the stuff of the Gods. His bravery and strength will become legendary and his cunning and wit will prove your damnation. What's more is he will ride into these Halls on the back of a blazing beast of nature; a tiger of the brightest orange and the darkest black which will lead the vampire army to your destruction,"

The Hall was in complete fury now, shouting and swearing Mr Tiny for this 'bogus prophecy' which had been instilled above their heads. A _riot_? A _**Vampire King**_? A _**Tiger**_? To Darren, however, this was perhaps the greatest story he had ever heard; enchanted by the thought of a great leader saving them, too excited to be afraid of that horrible knowing look Mr Tiny was giving him.

"What's worse is he could be here, right now, in this mountain and you are all too angry and huffy to hunt him out," Tiny laughed loudly, such evil cackling that echoed throughout the entire Hall and rocked the bones of everyone presence.

"Then that's it!" a vampaneze called, "We have to kill them all now before they kill us!"

Darren stifled a gasp though no one seemed to hear over the sudden chanting to slay the entire vampire race within this mountain. Panicking, Darren ran from the balcony, tears in his eyes. They had to get out and they had to get out now.

_**Meanwhile...**_

Larten and Gavner dragged themselves back towards their chamber, exhausted and muddy from what had been a horrible day in the chambers. Four cave-ins have claimed seven lives and as a result the men went without a break for the entire day. Lugging themselves into their room they hurriedly opened the ration cupboard, pulling out a few slices of bread and devouring them hungrily, gulping down gallons of water before collapsing on the floor, stretching out their sooty, achy bodies on the cool floor.

"I am bursting for a piss but I am too sore and too tired to move," Larten chuckled slightly. He always behaved a lot more informal around his friend, though he would never admit it. Despite what people thought of him, he, too, enjoyed s little 'guy talk' with Gavner and Gavner enjoyed being in Larten's pressence when he did relax his strict guard.

"I'm not too bad. I took a leak on the wall when everyone was worrying about the cave in," Gavner laughed loudly, "I could get you a bottle?"

"And what would I say if Arra were to walk in?" Larten mumbled, sitting up and stretching, "I had better just get up and g-"

Larten was interrupted with Arra appearing under the threshold of the door. Instantly she had Larten's attention, worry in her eyes as she scanned the room. "Where's Darren?" she asked.

Larten and Gavner looked at each other in confusion.

"Wasn't he with you?" Gavner asked.

Arra shook her head, "He was asked to deliver wine to the Hall of Lords and he never returned to the kitchen. That was almost two hours ago," She would never admit it but she was scared, it was obvious in her eyes. Looking deep into Larten's own eyes and she could see the fear flaring up like a green flame.

"Do you think he is…" Larten didn't have to finish his sentence; they all knew what he was going to ask.

"Nah, not Darren," Gavner laughed, standing up on his weak legs, "He's probably just drunk or still with Kurda or something,"

There was an eerie silence. All three of them thought exactly the same as each other; Gavner's ideas were illogical.

"Mr Tiny was in the Hall of Lords," Arra whispered softly, her eyes back on Larten's.

"That fills me with horrible unease. When that man appears trouble follows," Larten sighed.

"Guys! We need to run now!" Darren gasped, sliding into the room to three very relieved faces.

"**Darren**! Where,_ in the name of Mika Ver Leth_, have you been?" Larten roared furiously, "We have been worried sick!"

"Larten, Gavner, Arra," Darren panted, face wet with tears, "They are going to kill us, all of us. We need to leave now. Everyone has to leave. They are looking for the Vampire King! They want us dead! Tiny said so! There's a tiger!" Darren rambled; panic stricken as he blurted random nonsense to three very confused vampires.

"Darren, calm down," Gavner smiled, trying to take ahold of the boy to comfort him, "Larten, make him some toast and I'll-"

"There isn't time!" Darren roared angrily, "We have to go, now!"

Arra looked at Larten disapprovingly, "You've cracked him up real good. For the love of the Gods, he's delusional!"

"Actually," a strange voice called from the door threshold, all eyes turning to study the man in a yellow suit and red boots, a terrifyingly sharp grin glaring at the vampires whilst a stubby pair of fingers fished out a heart shaped watch from within his breast pocket, "I believe Master Shan speaks sense. I think it's in your best interests that you go, now."

"M-m-Mr Tiny," Larten gasped, feeling his assistant pressing against him for protection, "W-what are you doing here?"

Mr Tiny laughed, "Why, Larten, you should know me by now. I'm here to give you vampires a helping hand."

And with that, Mr Tiny told the group what had been told in the hall, word for word.

**Thank you so much for all of your lovely comments so far! Big shout to Rowan Rawr (twice!), LilBat54, Roxypony (twice!), Blood Red Youth and Chiba! It's greatly appreciated and it's really help raise my confidence in continuing this which, in my opinion, Reviews are supposed to do :)**

**I'm really thankful for all the nice comments and would greatly appreciate any ideas or dialog topics please feel free to comment or PM them to me!**

**I took into account the comment on making the chapters longer so hopefully I've managed to add a bit more bulk to what I'm typing :D**

**Thanks again for everything!**

**Preston (:**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Arra was the first to speak. They had all listened in silence to Tiny's prophecy, too fearful of this meddlesome conjurer to interrupt his ramblings, "How do we know who the King is?" she asked, leaning closer to Gavner as Mr Tiny stepped forward.

"Because, my dear lady, he will be the only vampire with the ability to wield the King's sword without suffering horrible, agonistic pain through holding the handle. Only with this sword will he be able to assemble an army of Partisans and bring an end to the Vampaneze rule of Vampire Mountain," Tiny said simply though his words would perhaps be the most important words the group would hear for a lifetime, "Which is where you four come in to play. If you believe me and want to save your people it will be your quest to locate the sword before the year is done. From there, destiny will fall into place and you will be able to not only locate your King but help assemble the army you so desperately need to end this degradation."

Another silence befell the group, each digesting the meaning behind his words. None believed Mr Tiny but if there was the slightest chance that he was right then it was worth taking the risk for their dying clan.

"Where,_ if_ we chose to accept the quest, should we begin our search for this heavenly sword?" Larten asked his green eyes deep in thought whilst he scratched his scar out of bad habit.

His words brought a smile to Mr Tiny's lips, "I would begin by walking to Lady Evanna's. From there," he shrugged, "just have a wonder. You never know what or who you will meet when you just let your feet decide where you want to go,"

"How would we get out of here?" Gavner pressed, "And what about the other vampires?"

"If Master Shan hadn't left when he did he would have heard me inform the Vampaneze that they had nothing to threat from their workers but that a party," he pointed at the four, "would attempt to escape and that it is them they need to worry about," he grinned cruelly, "May the luck of your vampire Gods be with you because you are most certainly going to need it," with that, Mr Tiny dipped his head, turned the dial on his watch to exactly twelve and left, disappearing into the hallway and leaving the group in yet another silence.

Darren shook his head, sitting upon his coffin lid and staring around at his companions; Mr Tiny's words had troubled them deeply but Darren could feel hope in his soul. This was their opportunity to defeat the vampaneze, quite possibly their only chance. They had to do this, they had to resist and revolt, create an uprising, cause anarchy-

"I am going to go to the washroom," Larten mumbled, remembering his bladder as he walked passed his companions, deep in thought.

Arra shook her head, "This is stupid. We can't trust Tiny. He's probably speaking rubbish and even if it was true we'd never make it out alive to find this stupid sword," he shouted in anger.

"Would you dismiss Mr Tiny so quickly? Can we honestly afford too? I mean look at us! We're skin and bones! We wont live another year if we keep going like this," Gavner groaned. He was usually so lively and hopeful that it shocked both Darren and Arra that he was being so defeatist about their current condition, "We need to go now or die trying. It's a catch twenty two. We can either die here or die trying to be free. I know what I'm going to do- my job as a Vampire General."

Arra sighed and nodded, a smirk appearing on her lips, "See, Gavner? I told you that you could be intelligent when you tried." Gavner smiled at her words, a slight blush in his cheeks at the compliment. "What about you, Shan? Do you want to find the King?"

Darren had made his mind up the moment he had heard Tiny speak for the first time in the Hall of Lords. "I'm in."

Larten appeared within the chamber, a slight smile upon his usually stony lips, "I have a plan," he nodded, "We very well may die but we have to try."

"What is it?" Arra asked, not liking the sudden cunning glint in his green eyes.

"We jump into the river running below the water closets and swim," Larten stated, "If we partner up and hold on to each other we can wade the tide. All the waste ends up at the foot of the mountain. Paris said himself once that in his day they used to ride the current. Humans also indulge is such obscenities too. I believe they call it tomb-stoning?"

Gavner grinned and laughed whilst Arra and Darren stared at the two as though they had lost their minds, "That's a wonderful idea!" Gavner clapped, "Stupid as hell, we'll probably all die before we get out, but I'm game!"

Arra shook her head but then sighed, "I refuse to be partnered with Gavner." She snorted, "If we die I do not want to be trapped in the lake of Souls to hear him snoring for eternity."

Darren could have sworn he saw his mentor blush somewhat as he nodded, "Darren can go with Gavner and I with you, if that would suit you better?"

"Aye," Arra smirked before she began tucking a few of their rations in a bag.

"If we sleep through the day we will be out by night tomorrow which means we will have a whole night before anyone gets suspicious. Those dumb bastards don't take a rota so we wont be missed instantly," Gavner shrugged, "I think a rest would do us good; give our bodies time to recover and give our minds time to make peace with the Gods in case this goes to buggery."

The others smiled briefly at that and made their way to their own respected coffins before each stopping and staring at Seba's empty cot. Slowly their eyes met each other before they raised their finger and thumb to their forehead and muttered the words that the great and noble Mika Ver Leth had roared in death; **_'Even in Death may we vampires be triumphant_**.'

**Thought I'd add this wee Chapter before I finish up Chapter 5 :D**

**Again, thanks everyone for your interest in this story; it's really making my day to have such lovely comments in my inbox :D I had over 19 notifications on Hotmail when I got in from work and I was just, like, ...WOW...**

**Thanks to everyone who's reviewing, favouriting, alerting and just plain reading. I really do appreciate it all so much, all of it. Especially to read reviews from the authors of fanfictions which I've read and loved. It means so much, thank you all! :D**

**Preston (:**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter five**

Darren doubted anyone slept much that day. He knew for a fact he didn't. The entire duration in his coffin was spent praying to every God he knew, silently whispering over and over again the same sentence with his eyes tightly squeezed and his hands clasped so firmly that his knuckles went white:

_"Please, Gods, watch over us all. No more death, please. Please give me Mika's cunning, Petra Vin Grehl's bravery and Arrow's strength to get me through the currents. Please help my clan,"_

Gavner was the first to stir, stretching his weak muscles and climbing out of his cot. Before he and Larten slept, the pair had decided that in a bid to make escape more likely, one pair would go first, followed by the other an hour later. Furthermore it was decided that Darren and he be the first to attempt the current; if Larten and Arra went first and escaped then Gavner and Darren would be punished and the young half vampire stood no chance enduring the tough torture that would most certainly be exerted upon them.

Much to Gavner's liking, however, they had also decided to use up the remainder of the rations for a more nutritious meal. A 'final supper' Gavner had joked, making his once orange haired companion smile before turning in for the day.

He opened the cupboard and began work on creating a proper meal with all they had; a tin of baked beans, a few questionable strips of pork, an onion, a small bag of rice and a small cupcake that they'd joked the last survivor could eat. Studying the ingredients, and being the 'master chef' he was, Gavner threw everything –spare the cake- into a rusty pot filled with water and crossed his fingers that he hadn't created something terrible. Soon enough, however, a surprisingly pleasant smell wafted from the makeshift stove and Gavner grinned, stretching back as his companions rose to investigate.

"That smells delicious, Gav," Arra frowned, confused he'd made something actually nice.

"I must agree, Gavner," Larten added, "I have not smelt something of that calibre in sometime."

"What can I say?" Gavner laughed as he leant back and fixed them with, a very false, knowing smile, "I'm amazing in the kitchen," he winked then lifted the lid to stir the mixture and to pretend he knew what he was doing. Satisfied that it was perfect and claiming it was old recipe he'd learnt traveling in Ireland, he poured out four even bowls whilst Larten woke Darren.

They sat together, the three giving Gavner serious credit for a delicious meal before the conversation drifted to all the different meals they'd eaten seventeen years ago.

"What I would not give for a portion of Bat Broth," Larten noted as he slowly lapped at his meal, savouring the taste.

"I thought bat broth didn't agree with you?" Darren frowned as he devoured his plate.

"It does not but I would not turn it down if the vampaneze offered it," Larten said before Arra burst out laughing.

"Oh, Larten," she smiled, "You say that now but don't you remember how ill you were when you ate your first bowl?" she asked as Gavner joined in.

"Aye, Larten! I remember that! If you weren't throwing up in a bucket you were running to the toilet," Gavner howled.

"Yes, well," Larten mumbled as he blushed a bright pink colour and said no more on the subject as suddenly he recalled how nauseating that experience was.

Darren only shook his head in astonishment then licked clean his bowl, "We'd better get a move on, Gavner, before the Vampaneze do the room searches," he sighed, the jolly mood dissolving instantly.

A silence fell upon the friends before Gavner nodded and replied, "Aye, Shan, lets get ready." He stood and stretched before tucking his ragged clothes into his trousers and worker boots. "We shall meet you at the first Way Station on the side of the mountain?"

"Aye," Larten mumbled as he and Arra stood to bid farewell properly to their friends. "Good luck, Master Shan," he whispered, shaking Darren's hand manfully.

"Good luck, Mr Crepsley," Darren smiled softly before Arra embraced him tightly into a hug. "Good luck, Arra," he whispered, squeezing her tightly before they parted.

"See you guys later," Gavner nodded almost confidently before his eyes fell on Larten's, "You better kick those skinny legs of yours," he ordered, tears in his usually warm and strong brown eyes.

"Aye," Larten smiled, pulling his oldest friend into a very uncharacteristic hug which, by Gavner's astonished face, had obviously never occurred.

"Wow," Gavner grinned when they parted, his eyes on Arra, "If he hugs like that AND has size eleven feet, why did you dump him? Honestly that made **me** want to swoon!"

"Get out of here," both Larten and Arra growled as Gavner grasped Darren's hand and sprinted to the toilet before the Vampaneze gave the call for work to begin.

Larten shook his head, Gavner's comment having left an obvious awkwardness the room between he and his ex. He thought about apologizing on Gavner's behalf when Arra bet him to it.

"Pfft. No way do you have size eleven feet," she snorted before continuing where she left off last night and packing the few supplies they had in a bag fashioned from Seba's old trousers. The blush on Larten's face could have lit the entire New York Skyline.

_**On the way to Freedom...**_

Gavner and Darren hurried along to the wash room, joined by a few of the workers who were also taking advantage of the grubby, stinking, faeces covered toilet facilities. The stench disgusted Darren but it was the horrible fear of taking the plunge into the cold icy pools below which terrified him the most; it was suicide; no one had dared try it.

Casually, Gavner and Darren entered a wooden cubical together with little attention drawn to them, perhaps because the life seemed to have drained so much from the men there that they no longer cared what occurred. It was horrifying and Darren struggled not to feel sympathy for these defeated beasts.

"Right," Gavner whispered, "You remember the plan?"

Darren nodded, glad he was with Gavner as he began to physically quake with fear, "Take a deep breath, hold on to you, then if we live we leg it to the way station," he recited, having memorized the plan amidst his praying.

"Aye," Gavner said as he chewed his lip with equal unease. He edged the urine splattered hole in the centre of the cubical, the dark gushing current of Vampire Mountain raging below, white froth sloshing beneath them. "It looks cold," he whispered.

"And deep," Darren added as he wrapped his arms around Gavner in a hug-like position like they had practiced. "On the count of three?"

"One…two…three!" Gavner shouted, breathing in deep and grasping the back of Darren's trousers tight before pencil jumping into the freezing rapids.

Instantly, Darren felt his heart almost stop, the water numbing him quickly as it burled them around relentlessly, slamming and smashing them against rocks and boulders. Darren felt Gavner's grip tighten on him as the bald, emaciated man took the worst of the thrashing.

Panic suddenly struck Darren as they seemed to travel for ages, swirling around and around and around…he was running out of air. They crashed against something sharp, Darren gasping underwater as water gushed up his nose and down his throat. His body instinctively drew in a breath, choking on the icy cold water as they appeared nowhere near the surface.

"_Oh for the love of Arrow_," Darren mumbled into the water, Gavner's grip growing tighter as he left Darren's loosen. The half vampire felt an over bearing feeling of peace come over him, the dark of the water merging with his conscious mind as he seemed to fall asleep…

_**Meanwhile...**_

Arra and Larten ran down the tunnel, panting heavily as hordes of vampaneze guards chased them. Larten hadn't been noticed missing immediately but Glalda had noticed Arra's disappearance and had sent out a distress call. In seconds the vampaneze had found them, hidden in the games hall.

"Larten…we…have..to….flit!" Arra panted wildly, outrunning her companion as they made their way to the toilets.

"I…can't!" Larten wheezed, struggling to keep up with the vampiress, drained of his energy. He felt like one of those battery hens; so used to being confide with no room to flit that he was somewhat lame. "Arra….leave…me," he panted, doubling over.

"Fuck sake, Larten!" Arra roared, running back and pushing him forward violently, her hand on his back as she shoved him forward.

"Arra…I…..can't," he moaned. He felt as though he were about to pass out, a horrible feeling of dizziness overwhelming him as Arra ran him along the tunnel.

"Lazy Cur!" Arra snarled, shunting him into the female's bathroom and towards a wooden cubical, not even bothering to lock the door as she heard the vampaneze smash their way into the bathroom. She looked over her shoulder, her eyes widening when she spied two of the most hated men in the Mountain glaring at her and a doubled over Larten.

"Arra, Larten," Kurda nodded as Glalda stood beside him, teeth bared under his deep purple lips.

"Traitor," Arra hissed back, standing in front of Larten. The vampire was useless to her now; too weakened from seventeen years of hard labour and stolen food from the kitchen.

"Give up now, Arra, and we'll forget about all of this," Kurda said, extending his pale hand to her, eyes almost pleading she would get over her stubborn pride and except his proposal.

"Never," Arra snarled viciously, backing her and Larten further into a corner, Larten's heels hanging over the edge of the hole in the floor.

"Arra, please," Kurda pressed, "Can't you see? You're trapped! Please, just accept my offer of ignoring this whole event and we'll let you go. I promise. You have my word-"

"Your word means nothing to me," Arra spat at Kurda, "You don't deserve to have credit to you 'word'. You are nothing but a liar and a traitor and a murderer. The Vampire King is going to have your head when he gets here and then you'll be sorry,"

"How do you know about that?" Glalda growled aggressively.

"Darren never delivered the wine. He heard everything!" Arra shouted, "He was sat up in the eves of the hall of Lords the entire time!"

Glalda made to strike her, Arra instinctively stepping back and almost knocking the still breathless Larten into the icy water below.

"Glalda!" Kurda snarled, pulling the beastly purple man back, "Arra. One last time before you and Larten are slain right here, right now. Do you surrender?"

Arra glared at Kurda, then Glalda, then the sea of armed purple menaces behind them. A maddened laugh escaped her lips, cackling and echoing in the bathroom as she repeated exactly what Prince Mika had uttered when face to face with death, "_You will never take the Vampire Spirit. We will always resist. We will always fight. We will never surrender_!"

Turning, she gave Larten a push, knocking him into the rapids below as he shouted as Mika had, "_Even in Death may we Vampires be Triumphant_!"

Arra looked at a bewildered Kurda and winked, "You heard the man," before falling backwards and plunging into the watery abyss.

"No!" Kurda roared as they all charged forward, circling around the toilet with fury in their eyes. They hadn't expected them to leap into the current. It was surely death. Yet still…Kurda's eyes widened as he recalled Tiny's warning as they readied to kill the entire vampire work force:

_"I wouldn't be so quick to kill your workforce. Very shortly four vampires will escape and it is that four you need to worry about. They will find the sword. They will find the King. They will raise an army against you," Tiny laughed madly, "You silly men with your swords and your axes and your purple skin and red eyes. You're so proud of your achievements in the past seventeen years that you've neglected the discontent amongst the workers. If I were you…I would find your Lord and hope he or she can help you win this war because at the moment that may be your only hope,"_

But only Larten and Arra had escaped… Darren Shan and Gavner Purl!

"I want everyone in this mountain locked up right now!" Kurda yelled, "We must locate Darren Shan and Gavner Purl! Our future depends on locating them this very second!"

The vampaneze looked at Kurda with confusion but nodded, abandoning the toilet and charging to the Ghetto Halls to lock up the vampire slaves.

No way had Darren and Gavner escaped already, Kurda reassured himself as he pushed his yellow-blonde hair from his face and flitted to the Hall of Lords to report what had happened that evening.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter six**

Arra gasped for breath, coughing up water as she inhaled the deepest breath of her life. She looked to her left and saw Larten had already began wading into the shallow water, coughing and sneezing as he struggled to pull himself up and out of the water.

"A-a-a-arra?" he stammered, teeth chattering violently as he offered her a hand to help her out of the water. They sat in the snow, quaking from both cold and shock. Their bodies were close to shutting down but that wasn't the first thing that sprung to either's mind.

They were free.

It was freezing cold, clearly winter; the deciduous trees were bare and there was deep, heavy snow all over the place. The moon lit sky was beautiful from the deep ocean blue to each individual silver glittering star. Larten was mesmerized by such beauty.

"Luh-uh-larten," Arra shivered, "Wuh-uh-We need to move," she nodded as she struggled to her feet and staggered forward. The way station was a little ahead and both of them were drenched and cold.

Larten followed her instinctively, afraid to mention what Seba had taught him about the cold;

"If you are soaked to the bone then remove all your clothes. Otherwise you will freeze and your body will shut down completely. It is when the cold seeps into your bones that you must worry, Master Crepsley,"

After nearly an hour of painful walking, the two made it to the way station, hearing Gavner mumbling worriedly inside.

"G-g-g-g-Gav?" Arra stuttered, gasping when she saw how blue his hands, feet and face were as he wrapped a very naked Darren in and blanket and lay him beside the small fire he had created at the back of the cave. "Gavner get your clothes off this very second!" she ordered, that long lost mothering instinct returning to her in the heat of the moment. When she heard Larten sneeze repeatedly, she turned around, "You too, Larten." Her attention drifted to Darren's red body, his breathing slow but present; Gavner had had to resuscitate him once they broke surface but had taken grand care of him till the moment Arra and Larten walked in.

Slowly, Gavner and Larten pulled their sodding shirts off, helping each other like a pair of children struggling to free their arms and heads. Arra caught a glimpse of their emaciated chests, looking away instantly. She could remember the days and nights she had spent in the boys presence and never once had she seen them this weak and…pathetic. When she looked again, she couldn't help but laugh.

Gavner stood in his infamous boxers, the fabric of those beautifully styled, elephant-plastered pants glued around his bony legs and waist as he cupped himself self-consciously. Larten hadn't even made that stage, still in his soaking trousers and blushing brightly.

"Oh come on. I have seen it all before," Arra called as she, too, began undressing; removing her shoes then discarding her bag of supplies before unbuttoning her shirt.

Gavner exchanged a small smile with a clearly embarrassed Larten as he slipped out of his underwear and walked to the fire, unable to look at Arra as she removed her trousers and pants, standing completely naked before wrapping herself in another blanket provided by the way station. "Come on Larten," she called playfully.

"Yeah, come on Mr 'I take a size eleven'," Gavner grinned, "Grow a pair and come sit by the fire. Nudists only up here," he laughed as he also pulled out a blanket and curled up.

Blushing wildly, Larten did as bid, peeling his trousers off his person whilst covering himself and hurrying over for a blanket too. "I hate you both," he growled as he inched closer to the fire.

"Will they come looking for us?" Gavner asked curiously after a moment, fighting sleep. He was afraid that by sleeping they would be vulnerable.

"Yes," Arra said bluntly, "but not now. It's almost dawn and by the time they flit down here the sun will be high. The best thing they can do is wait till this evening but we will be on the move come noon," she nodded, following Larten and moving towards the fire, "We will be exposed to the sun but it's the best we can do since you boys can't flit anywhere and Darren looks a little beaten about the bush."

Larten said nothing, already asleep. From experience he knew that it was best to get to sleep before Gavner or risk a very long and tiring night of snores, grunts and burps.

"Okay," Gavner yawned, closed his eyes and copied his friends. Within seconds, the cave was alive with the sound of snoring.

_**The next day….**_

Larten was the first to stir, his body clock being the most accurate in the group. It was twelve noon he was sure, stretching before standing, a hand covering his front as he abandoned the blanket to search the cupboards for fresh clothes. Thankfully he found a pair of trousers which he eagerly pulled on before taking a fresh shirt and then raiding a second cupboard for vials of blood. Hungrily he gulped down two of the eight he found, his body shaking in pure pleasure. He could feel the blood instantly going into his legs and arms, reviling at the familiar feeling of strength that the small vials had given him.

The vampaneze did give them blood weekly but it was diluted and watered down to keep their workers weaker than normal.

Licking his lips, Larten nudged Darren slowly, "Darren? You must awaken,"

"Mr-Mr Crepsley?" Darren frowned, bafflement in his eyes. The last thing he could remember was laying in his back with Gavner pressing down on his lungs to squeeze all the water from him. He had no recollection of getting to the Way Station, having Gavner undress him then wrap him up in the thick blanket or Arra and Larten joining them, "You guys made it?"

"Aye," Larten nodded as he held a vial to Darren's lips. It amused him when he remembered how against to blood Darren had been; now he drank it quickly and even licked the glass for every last drop. Eagerly, Darren wolfed down the second vial before slowly standing to dress in the clothes Larten had set out for them all. "How are you feeling?"

"Better after that blood," Darren smiled as he pulled on the cord trousers and then a creased shirt, "I thought I was a goner in the rapids though,"

"I did too," Larten agreed, "I hit my head against one of the more jagged rocks, Arra had to apply spit to stop the bleeding before we left a trail."

Darren looked at his mentor worriedly, seeing the remnants of a gash being his ear. Another scar for his collection, he shook his head and sighed before waking up Gavner and Arra, handing them each two vials of blood then fresh clothes.

Darren couldn't help but remember the Way Station he, Gavner and Mr Crepsley had found the bloodied coffin and then the scrap of cloth with the tiniest hint of blood on the bramble that snagged it. That was seventeen years ago, Darren's first Council and quite possibly his last. Never before had he been so scared of monsters since his encounter with the wolfman.

His trial had been interrupted by the screams of pain from the guards, their severed bodies thrown down into the pit as a sea of purple and red broke through the walls and roof, attacking every vampire present. Darren still remembered watching Arra and Mr Crepsley fighting back to back whilst Gavner threw himself at the vampaneze who attempted to take Mika and Arrow. They had stood no chance as Kurda and Glalda marched into the hall together, side by side, demanding for the fighting to cease and for the entire clan to be put under arrest. Resistance meant death; Mika and Arrow had found that out the hard way before the Hall of Princes. That memory would forever haunt Darren for he had been there, watching tearfully as the axes dropped and their heads rolle-

"Shan!" Arra called, somewhat annoyed, "Stop ignoring me. We're leaving now,"

Darren frowned as he saw Gavner and Larten stood at the mouth of the cave, squinting in the light, "Opps, sorry," Darren mumbled, grabbing the bag Arra had brought before running over to his friends. "Where are we going to go?"

"The nearest city," Larten replied, limping slightly. It was so strange, Darren thought, to see his mentor so weak and beaten. Those usual sharp green eyes seemed frail and lost. He was skin and bones, his shaven head only made him seem more desolate. "We need to rest and recover before going anywhere near Evanna's."

'You need to rest and recover,' Darren said to himself as Arra led the way at a slow pace.

Darren's stay in the Mountain had taught him a lot about the vampire way of life but no character he was told about, as Gavner spouted all the legends and myths, interested him more than Lady Evanna. From frogs to spells, he was hooked on her story. He was desperately excited to meet her and expand his thirsting knowledge.

"How are you feeling?" Arra whispered to Larten as they trekked towards flat land. She could hear Gavner's heavy panting and knew they would have to rest soon before he collapsed; Kitchen work had been simple and easy for her and Darren. Digging had near enough destroyed Larten and Gavner.

"That blood has worked wonders but I am struggling a little," Larten admitted but suddenly coughed violently. He doubled over, wheezing painfully, "G-ga-gavner," he coughed as his staggering friend approached and started smacking Larten's back as he made a horrible retching noise. Arra and Darren stared in horror as Larten coughed up thick, black-bloody mucus onto the snow, his breathing becoming easier almost instantly. "Th-thanks, Gavner," Larten panted as his friend collapsed on to his bottom and nodded, the minimal strain of smacking his friend's back having proved too much for him.

"How long has that been happening!" Arra gasped.

Larten shrugged, "It is nothing. My lungs will heal once I am a little stronger."

"Have you got the black lung?" Darren asked shyly, not wanting to sound stupid. These creatures knew more about old illnesses than modern day doctors.

"Yes," Larten nodded as he sat beside Gavner, head between his legs as he continued to spit onto the snow.

"Guys, we can't stop so soon. We need to cover more ground!" Arra growled as she stood behind Gavner and pushed him onto his feet, shunting him forwards as Darren helped Larten up. The men looked dead; Arra knew they had to make it to the road. She had managed to smuggle her purse into the Ghetto with her and so hoped –prayed- that they could maybe find a bus or a trustable driver and be taken to the nearest city or town.

"I don't feel well," Gavner groaned, arm around Arra's shoulders.

"I know, Gav," Arra sighed as he helped him walk through the shade of the trees, her memory leading her down from the mountain and towards civilization.

**Thanks again so much for all your lovely reviews! Thank you!**

**It really means a lot to have such wonderful comments on the storry so far. I'm really enjoying writting this and I'm trying to get a chapter or two up a day -once I start something everything else has to wait :L-so I'll post Chapter seven tonight :D**

**Thanks again to everyone for your comments (you know who you are!) and keep them coming :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

The group continued to trek for hours and hours, the sun slowly falling behind the trees though still prominent in the sky; the vampaneze wouldn't leave till it was completely dusk and so the group had a good few hours, Arra estimated as they stopped for a second break.

Gavner and Larten collapsed to their bellies, breathing heavily as Darren went to fetch water.

They had made good ground which surprised Darren; Gavner was seriously holding them back now. He, like Mr Crepsley, was coughing up thick mucus, frequently stopping to wheeze and retch and Darren could see Arra was slowly losing her patience. Still, Darren couldn't help but smile at their freedom; he'd never thought he would see the sun again! Obviously they had trekked through heavily wooded areas, and so exposure to the sun was minimal, the scents, sounds and tastes of the outdoors were enough for him.

Bending over at an iced lake, Darren slammed a fist through the cold shell over the water before breaking a small circle which allowed him to lap it up with his tongue and quench his burning thirst.

He continued to do so till he heard a stick snap behind him. Instantly, his body went into red alert, adrenaline pulsing as his every sense heightened and became one with his environment. Immediately, he could sense another being in the clearing with him; a horrible stench of raw meat, damp fur and a very stale breath. He remained silent as he heard large paws crunch the snow behind him, stalking closer and closer. Darren's fingers gripped around a piece of very pointed ice, relaxing as he awaited the creature to pounce.

The beast emitted low, deep growl metres away from Darren as the half vampire spun instinctively and quickly, throwing himself to the side and narrowly missing the large red beast which pounced and slid on the snow before resting on black striped hackles and snarling furiously.

Darren's gut tightened when he realized what this creature was. Its crimson red pelt was littered with jet black stripes which completely covered its entire body. Its face was huge, long white canines glinting savagely at Darren as it took a step forward on a heavy, fur laced paw. Darren had never been afraid of cats but stood now, a blade of ice as his only weapon and Mr Tiny's words in his ear, the novelty of such a large and feral tiger on the outskirts of Vampire Mountain was absolutely terrifying.

"Darren!" Larten bellowed from the the top of the hill, the tiger's head snapping sharply behind it when it saw the weakened man glaring viciously and hissing. It took a step towards Larten when a sudden force shunted against its shoulder, sending it flying to the left. The tiger looked to its attacker and snarled viciously at the trembling Gavner, growling as he took a step forward.

The tiger seemed to panic when both Gavner and Larten closed in on it, their nails and teeth presented to intimidate the beast further. Arra slowly crept behind it, yanking the whipping tail and causing the beast to roar, turn sharply to face her before legging it away. It was clear the tiger knew they were non-human beings, if it were so hungry as to become a man eater it would have tried to take all four of them.

The three vampires panted as Darren stared at them in amazement. He'd thought he was a straight out goner yet his friends –his family- came to his air in the heat of the moment despite being deathly ill.

"We would be wise to move," Larten panted.

"Aye," Gavner nodded, staggering up the hill.

"Don't wonder off again, Darren," Arra scowled, following her friends as they struggled forward.

Amazed that no one else seemed to see the significance in the fact that a tiger was running around the foot of the mountain, Darren followed with his head down. He was sick of being the 'child' of the group. He was a teen in appearance and a man in the mind, he felt that he was deserving of such treatment. A sigh escaped his lips, however, following his friends as Larten fell in deep snow and Arra aided him to his feet

**_A good few hours later…._**

They noticeably sped up when night fell, Gavner and Larten somehow managing to keep Arra's strict pace. Though they had a good day or two between them and the vampaneze –the rapids had shot them straight out of the mountain, a journey that would have taken weeks to walk due to the various obstacles that had made climbing the mountain tough on the journey up- Arra wanted to ensure they maintained their head start. Once they were clear of the mountain and in a human settlement far away they could relax. This had to be the final push.

"I see the road," Larten coughed, pointing a shaking finger to a slush covered tarmac strip.

Darren's eyes widened when, in the distance, he spied a white and orange bus driving along said road, "Bus!" he cheered, "Bus! Bus! Bus!"

Arra nodded eagerly and laughed, "Race you, Shan!" she grinned as Darren shot off like a rocket before she followed him.

Larten and Gavner looked at each other.

"You look like hell," Larten laughed, pointing at Gavner's snot covered face and laughed.

"So do you," Gavner retorted with a smirk, nodding at Larten's bleary eyes and frost burnt cheeks, "Come on then. Last leg," he turned back and looked down at the road from the hill they were perched on before dropping to his belly and sliding down the steep slope, laughing as he tripped Darren over.

Arra was stood waving for the bus which, thankfully pulled up beside them. She looked back at Gavner, who was stumbling forward, covered in snow, whilst Darren followed with an infuriated expression. She smiled up at Larten who was trying to scale the snowy bank and maintain his dignity. She shook her head when he caught her eyes. Despite their relationship being over she was still fonder to Larten than Gavner or Darren. They had shared more adventures, more laughs, more sad times, more heated moments than anyone one else she knew. His friendship was her most treasured possession, even if he did act like a complete tit drunk with Gavner.

"Three adult tickets and a child please," Darren nodded, taking charge as he fished Arra's small money bag from within the makeshift rucksack, standing on the stairs of the bus.

The bus driver looked at him curiously, "Where to?"

"The last stop," Arra nodded; eager to be seated in such plush looking chairs. The driver cast his eyes over Gavner and Larten, then her before his gaze settled on Darren with the money. Sighing, he nodded and proceeded to print off their tickets, clearly annoyed that they had cause him to stop on the side of a road,

"Please take a seat and buckle in," he grumbled as the group hurriedly claimed the last seats, and old lady sat before them.

Larten called the entire back row, his head on Arra's lap as she softly ran her hands over his stubbly head, whilst Gavner stretched out on two seats, his long legs dangling on the floor. Darren yawned tiredly also, sat behind the old lady who'd turned round to investigate the new arrivals.

"You look very tired, Dear," she smiled at Darren, that over bearing perfume smell that old ladies seemed to have caused Darren to smile in return. She must have been nearing eighty, rather large with a walking stick and a huge shopping bag which she sat on the empty chair, "Would you and your friends like some sweeties?"

"Yes!" Darren yelped excitedly before regaining his cool, "I mean, yes please ma'am," he nodded eagerly as the old lady opened a large multipack of crisps, the rustling packets catching the attention of the others as they looked up hungrily. Darren frowned, "Ma'am, we can't take your shopping," he frowned.

"Not at all, dear," the lady smiled, "The bus driver always gets a packet so I dare say you and your friends can't," she looked across at Gavner and offered him the bag which he accepted slightly hesitantly.

"Thank you ma'am," he smiled politely as the bag was handed to Arra and Larten next, each thanking her greatly as they wolfed down their small meal, recalling the taste of human junk food.

Larten usually refused to allow himself to eat fattening human foods; chocolate, cakes, fried foods, burgers, chips. However, when the lady asked if he wanted another packet he nodded eagerly and ate hungrily.

The old lady looked puzzled at how hungry the group were, "You all look so tired," she tutted.

"Aye," Gavner nodded, "It's been a rough seventeen ye-months for us." He blurted, though covered himself rather well.

"Well my house is one of the last on this route. Come round and I'll give you a good hot plate of soup, warm baths and a clean bed," the old lady smiled warmly, resembling a welcoming grandmother as she sat upon her seat.

"We wouldn't want to impose," Arra nodded.

"Aye, we do not want to cause you any trouble," Larten agreed.

"Nonsence!" The lady snorted. She smiled at them all. "Mine name's Ruth Grimly but everyone in the village calls me Aunty Ruth. I go to church, you know," she added almost randomly, making Darren wonder if she was perhaps just a lonely, dithery old woman who wanted company for a night, maybe two.

Darren smiled, "It's nice to meet you, Aunty Ruth. My name's Darren. These are my friends, Gavner, Arra and Larten. I think I speak for everyone that we'd really like to accept your offer."

**I actually based that old Lady on two very kind ladies I have met in the past. The first being when my friends and I went camping in the pishing rain and in the morning, whilst walking her dog, she came down to the river we canped beside and struck up a conversation with us. I explained how one of our fabricated tents had flooded and as a result we all ended up spooning for warmth in the other tent which was also soaking and leaking. She told me that we should have gone up to her house, the one behind the trees we camped by, and said she'd have let us stay the night or even just give us a more water proof tent. I thought that was fell lovely:)**

**The other old lady heard my stomach growling when I was sat next to her on the bus to Aberdeen and pulled out a whole multi pack of Walkers Ready Salted crips and handed me a packet which I hungrily excepted. She told me all about how hard being 80 was but that she still tried to go to local clubs and Ceilidhs whenever she could and that she was an active member of church. She, too, was fell nice :)**

**Random bit of life events there but those are two of my favourite events in all of my 18 years. It makes me feel glad that there are still lovely people out in society that go out on a limb to help their fellow man (:**

**Just given myself that warm gooey feeling xDD**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Aunty Ruth lived far outside of an expanding town nestled at the foot of a large hill. It was a quaint house, a white cottage with grey slate roof and a large garden which was decorated in sweet smelling flowers with a green house in the corner. It was still dark when they arrived, perhaps nearly eleven.

Arra didn't mind so much however; she just wanted a bed for the night and was fit to drop there and then. Gavner was pretty much sleepwalking, eyes closed as he allowed Darren to lead him after Aunty Ruth. Larten was not well at all, grabbing Arra's hand as his face went green.

Instinctively, Arra led him towards the side of the road, letting the others go ahead slightly as Larten doubled over once more, vomiting up his breakfast and the crisps he'd eaten.

"Arra, I do not think I am very well," he said lightly, falling back into her.

"I don't think so either," Arra mused, resting a hand on his forehead; he was really feverish which surprised her. "Do you still feel cold?"

"Aye," Larten admitted with a weak smile, "I think it was something in the mountain water. I swallowed far too much and, after all, it is raw sewage," he tried to laugh it off as he dizzily walked forward.

Arra shook her head and followed him closely, wrapping an arm around his waist as they went. She promised herself it was to steady him but she doubted it highly. When she thought about it logically he probably had picked some bacteria up from the water. He was weak now so the slightest cough could prove disastrous.

Darren smiled as Aunty Ruth opened the door, revealing a long kitchen with a dining table to the side. She hurriedly waved them in, not wanting the heat to escape. The group pulled their soaking shoes off and laid them to the side before standing awkwardly, wanting Ruth to show them to their rooms.

It was only when Gavner near collapsed on her, caught by Darren, did the old lady laugh and led them to the two spare bedrooms, each consisting of a double bed and one large wardrobe which Darren reckoned must contain Narnia on the other side for it looked too grand to just be for clothes.

"I don't know if you want your own room, Arra," Ruth smiled, nodding at the arm she still had around Larten's waist, "but I'll let you all work it out for yourself. I'll let you sleep in tomorrow whilst I go to church then sort you out something nice and warm for breakfast. The bathroom is just down the hall so feel free to walk around." With that, Aunty Ruth brought the guys her husband's old pyjamas and one of her own nighties for Arra. No one complained; eager to have the soft cotton against their skin.

"Do you want me to go with Gav?" Darren asked, noting how tired she was. He was a heavy sleeper but Arra woke to the flutter of a butterfly.

"Aye, Shan. I would appreciate that," she nodded as Larten let out a soft groan, holding his sore belly as it gurgled loudly and painfully, catching both Arra and Darren's attention. "Are you okay?" Arra asked, squeezing his shoulder.

"Not really," Larten mumbled, doubling over with the sudden crippling pain in his belly, "I think I need to lie down,"

"Goodnight Mr Crepsley," Darren nodded, "Hope you feel better. 'night Arra,"

Larten moaned, staggering into the bedroom whilst Arra smiled goodnight and followed.

Darren rolled his eyes as he entered his own room, Gavner sprawled out on the bed and snoring like a bear. Regretting allowing Arra to stay with Mr Crepsley, Darren rolled up into a ball at the foot of the bed, hands tight over his ears as he tried to sleep through the worse of Gevner's heavy breathing.

Across the hall…

Arra finished helping Larten button up his short as the vampire slumped onto the bed with a shudder. "Arra? Who do you think the King is?" he asked, closing his eyes politely as Arra stripped then changed into the long nighty she had been handed.

"Honestly?" She asked, "You may think I am stupid but I thought it was Paris. He seemed like the more logical King of vampires but he must be dead by now. When Mika refused to open that door he sentenced Paris to a very lonely death," she smiled as she studied the dress in the mirror, loving how feminine she felt suddenly.

Though Arra was a staunch feminist, and the equal to almost every vampire in the mountain where strength, cunning and endurance were concerned, she too enjoyed wearing flowery outfits, jewellery and nice smelling scents. "What do you think?" Arra asked, looking back at Larten with the hint of shyness in her voice.

"I think you should wear more outfits like that. It is very pretty," Larten yawned as he climbed under the bedcovers, "And I do not think you are being stupid because I thought the exact same thing. However my mind has settled on Vancha. I think he may be the King."

"Prince Vancha," Arra gasped as though she had just remembered him from a very distant memory, "I hadn't thought about him. What do you think he has been doing for the last seventeen years?"

"Not doing his duty as a Prince to help his people?" Larten growled before he began coughing again.

Vancha had at one point been one of the most respected Princes in power, second to Paris. He was feral, a true wild vampire but where had he been when his people needed him? His absence in the heat of the moment had left a bitter taste in the mouths of almost every vampire. Even years on, Vancha was yet to make a move to help or even send a message of hope to his people. Larten wasn't the only one to think negatively of his former friend and Prince.

"Aye," Arra sighed, climbing into the other side of the bed, and closing her eyes as she felt Larten shift into a comfortable position, "To think he was considered the most noble vampire alive," she smirked as she added, "he was pretty handsome in an I-don't-wash-because-I'm-the-man' way,"

"You found Vancha handsome?" Larten croaked from his side of the bed, eyes fixed on the wall beside him.

"Very," Arra yawned, curling up as she, too, stared at the wall on her side of the bed.

"How can that be handsome?" Larten grumbled, not wanting the subject to drop, "He is more like a wolf than a man. Also he is incredibly sleazy and flirtatious and-"

"Larten. I am trying to sleep," Arra growled.

"oh, sorry,"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

"Urgh," Larten groaned, leaning back into the toilet and violently vomiting up bile. He moaned as he rested his head on the cool toilet seat, his stomach cramping badly as his throat became raw and scratchy.

He had been up and down to the bathroom all night being sick and now, at two in the afternoon, he saw no point in attempting to sleep again. Still, what rest he did achieve had left his limbs feeling a lot looser and slightly stronger.

Flushing then cleaning around the toilet, Larten washed his hands then walked towards the kitchen for a glass of water, looking a little surprised when he spied Aunty Ruth with a pan of bacon and eggs frying on the stove.

"Ah, Larry, how are you feeling? You didn't sound well at all last night," Ruth smiled behind a thick rimmed pair of glasses, blind to the curious expression Larten –Larry- gave her.

"I did not keep you up, did I?" he asked guiltily.

"Larry," Ruth laughed, "You're my guests. If you feel unwell then go to the toilet. It's not a bother at all," she noticed he was looking a little green again and handed him a cool glass of water which he happily accepted, "So what sort of cult did you guys escape from then?"

Larten sprayed water over the table, coughing as he choked over her question, "Cult?" he asked as he tidied his mess he had made.

"Yes," Ruth nodded, "Don't take me for a fool either, Larry. You and Gavin both looked like you'd come out of a Nazi death camp," she spoke so casually that Larten struggled not to feel relaxed and in the presence of an old friend. However, he wasn't willing to openly admit to what was happening to his world. Thankfully, when Ruth saw his reluctance to talk she left the matter and sat opposite him, "You're struggling with something," she noted, "I can see it in your eyes. My Grandfather had eyes like you, you see. I know them sort of eyes."

Larten smiled softly at that, finding it amusing that he was definitely older than her grandfather, "I lost my father two days ago. He was very much in pain the entire time till his final breath," he recalled Seba's emaciated body, how bruised he became when he started making mistakes in the tunnel. It had broken his heart, even if Larten refused to show it, "I feel as though I am on my own a little now and the novelty of that, and my current weakened state, is daunting to say the least."

"Ah," Ruth nodded understandingly, "Losing a parent is hard for anyone but I guess it has to be worse when you realize you are the head of a family,"

"I think the worst is just knowing you no longer have anyone to correct your mistakes and advise you on life," Larten sighed, staring at his glass of water with a sadness in his eyes. He hadn't given Seba much thought but he could feel how his death was dragging his mind somewhat.

Ruth smiled, sensing that this man was shy to ever be emotional with anyone. Feeling slightly honoured, she dared to take his hand in hers and stroke the callous flesh, "I am sure your dad is very proud of you, Larry," she said firmly.

Larten shook his head as he laughed, "May I run a warm bath? I smell horrendous."

"I wasn't going to say anything," Ruth laughed and nodded, "You know where the bathroom is; you spent all night in it."

Getting up slowly to avoid a head rush, Larten continued on to the bathroom once more, eager to lay in the tub and relax his aching bones as well as have a good soaping; the rapids in the mountain had washed the worse of the dirt off but he still carried a seventeen year stale sweat smell.

_**Later….**_

Darren felt incredibly relaxed in Aunty Ruth's house. Having slept through Gavner perfectly, he felt rejuvenated and strong and the bath had done wonders to his cuts and bruises. He'd been given some of Ruth's grandson's clothes to dress in; a dark wash pair of jeans, t-shirt and a cardigan to keep him warm in the cottage house.

He was lounging on the sofa, watching cartoons on television whilst Gavner ate poor Ruth out of house and home.

The rest had served Gavner well too. He was back to his jovial self in no time, laughing at the old lady's stories as she continued to make him toasted bread, bowls of porridge whilst he picked away at her fruit bowl. Like Darren, he had been given a brand new set of clothes; another grandson's hoody, a shirt and jeans also. It all helped to make him seem healthier which was good, Darren thought as Gavner devoured a packet of cereal.

Larten still looked a little queasy but appeared to be getting better, or rather the light brown chinos and white shirt, which Ruth picked out especially for him, gave him a slight look of normality despite his lack of orange hair and red attire. He looked up when Arra came out, dressed in a pair of jeans and a shirt which she tucked in and rolled the sleeves up of to completely defeminise the outfit. "I never kept you up last night, did I?" he asked when she sat in the arm chair.

"Aye, you did," Arra mumbled, pulling on her now dry boots. She leaned over and rubbed the back of his ear warmly before going to get a slice of toast, showing she wasn't annoyed at him for ruining her sleep as he had.

"What're we going to do now?" Gavner asked her curiously when she sat beside him to eat.

"We should leave, now," Arra nodded, "They will be looking for us now and it's very unfair on Ruth to put her in danger for the sake of more hospitality,"

"Aye," Gavner nodded, "We need to get to Evanna's. Our people aren't getting any better with us eating like lords."

"Speak for yourself," Arra grumbled as she went to shove Darren off the sofa and usher him to put his boots back on. "Come on. We have a sword to find."

"Just one more minute," Darren said, eyes glued on the tv screen as a yellow sponge and a snail appeared to be chatting with a fish in a suit. Darren laughed; he'd missed so much.

"Darren, listen to Arra," Larten growled, pulling the plug on the telly, "Up. Now!"

Darren uttered something under his breath as he pulled himself up and went to fetch his shoes. For the second time in less than twenty four hours Darren felt very much like the child of the group.

Aunty Ruth saw his expression and hobbled over to him, smiling softly, "What's wrong, lad? Don't you like adventure?"

"Aye- I mean, yes," he cursed himself inwardly, "I do it's just not that much fun when you're on the sideline because your guardians think you're a kid when you are actually not." Darren sighed and shook his head, "I dunno. Just ignore me," he shrugged then stood again.

Ruth laughed, opening her purse before handing Darren a wad of notes. The half vampire stared in complete shock as he counted almost five hundred pounds. He had a near fit when she gave him an extra two wads, "Aunty Ruth, I can't take this!"

"Of course you can. I want you to have it. You and your friends are the first bit of company I've had since my husband died and my kids flew the coup," Ruth smiled, pushing his extended hands back, "Remember you always have shelter here so please come back and see me. I like not being lonely."

Darren stared at the money, then at her, then the money again before embracing Ruth tightly, "Thank you for being so nice to us," he sniffed, over whelmed by the kindness this lady had shown he and his friends, "We'll never forget this."

Ruth smiled, "Such a strange bunch you are. You'd think you'd never had a helping hand in your life,"

"You have no idea," Darren laughed, eyes watery as he put the money in his pocket then went to help pack. Evanna was a long way away, two or three months from what Arra said.

**Sorry for lack of comment on the previous post; I didn't have time to write one :)**

**Thanks a whole bunch to everyone who keeps writting these fantastic reviews. I'm going to be rather hungover tomorrow so I thought I'd post chapter ten too since I wont have risen till late tomorrow afternoon :L**

**Please Read and Review! It makes all the difference. I love reading them and it's motivation to know that people are really enjoying what you write. Thanks so much for all the comments so far! They're making my day!**

**Preston (:**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter ten**

_**Two months after the group left Aunty Ruth on the long trek to Lady Evanna's…**_

Day 6289, still fucked.

_Vampire Mountain hasn't been the same since Larten and the others escaped. Security has tightened to stupid amounts. You can't take a shit without the vampaneze knowing. There is no privacy anymore. The cubicles in the bathrooms are doorless now and they watch you while you pathetically empty your bowels before them in the most humiliating way as possible. Rooms are checked every four hours now with random inspections happening in between. I heard they castrated that Staffen boy for having contraband pornography in 'is coffin. Wouldn't surprise me either; these purple skinned bastards are merciless you see._

_We've been marked now, tattooed on our wrists with numbers, and before we go to work they assemble you in your work forces, looking you straight in the eye to see if you're gonna last another day workin'. If they think you're too weak you're fucked; throat slit wide open as your body drops before your fellow vampires who are too fuckin' scared and broken to look at your body cause them vamaneze'll slit their throats open as well. The dead get scored off their number lists so they can keep tally of who they still have. Them bastards are getting cunning, that's for sure._

_They want us dead, you see. Somethin's got them in a twist. After Tiny visited them an then the escape they've been worried. You can see it in their eyes; they've grown frightened. Sometimes I catch'em watchin' me workin' and I swear they are 'fraid. It's that nervousness. They think we can't see it but we do._

_Rations are being reduced too. They want us weak but only just week. They want us to be workin productively but at the same time they want to control us better. The blood's getting less and less too now. You can taste the putrid water they're using to dilute it. They think we're stupid but we know the difference._

_They've added somethin' in the blood too. It's a bad thing. We can taste it. Its infecting us all, making us more susceptible to illness. It's like a disease. We're all dying o' cold an diarrhoea an other illness that humans in third world countries die o'. Or treatment here is subhuman. We are like rats to them. Nothin but vermin to exterminate._

_That's what this is. They want us exterminated after we've finished workin' for them._

_I hope the cave ins get me before they do._

_I don't think I'm gonna last to see them get their just desserts but I'm gonna try. I want to see that blonde haired traitor bastard rot in hell for what he's gone and done to his people, his fellow vampires. He's disgusting, that Kurda but I'm glad that Larten, Arra, Darren and Gavner's escapes have him all worked up. You can see it in his eyes, he's afraid._

_Maybe they'll find Vancha? I fucking hope they do. We need our Prince more than ever now. Even a word from 'im would be enough to give us all that ounce o' energy we need to lift them boxes, cart that rock, dig free the bodies of those lost in cave ins._

_If I don't make it to the next extract and somehow we, the vampire race, survive this shitty affair I want Gavner Purl offered my job as games master. That one's got somein' about 'im, a greater presence. If he doesn't become a great leader I want him to take up my duties._

_To whoever reads this,_

**_Even in Death may we Vampires be Triumphant._**

**_Vanez Blane_**

**_Games Master._**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter eleven**

Darren saw a marked improvement over the past month or two. The group had frequently stopped in human settlements to drink blood, rest in comfortable beds and enjoy good –if not fattening and greasy- takeaways and restaurants. Darren had seen Mr Crepsley eat an entire goose once, raw, when he was hungry but to see him in a Chinese All You Can Eat polishing off his eighth plate of chips and curry sauce was truly shocking especially when Gavner had admitted defeat half way through his sixth plate of chicken fried rice. Everyone was just glad that Larten was able to hold food down now and his lungs seemed to have begun the healing process for he was no longer wheezing when he breathed.

Gavner was starting to look fuller, a little more flab on his belly developing from lack of exercise and tens of thousands of calories a day. In one of the hotels they had stayed in he had sat before the television and gobbled down four tubs of Ben and Jerry's to satisfy this unbelievable hunger that the fully grown vampires' bodies required to return to natural function.

As the weeks flew by the group said goodbye to human settlement and entered lush green country land. Arra seemed more relaxed in the wilderness. She hunted for hares, birds and deer for her strengthening family, eating their meat raw like true vampires did. Darren wasn't as taken by the warm chewy meal but closed his eyes and imagined he was back in the city eating venison pizza.

"Larten?" Arra called as they came to a clearing of sorts.

"Aye?" Larten asked as he ran a hand across his growing orange hair and squinted out upon the plain.

"Where are we?" Arra frowned, the slightest grin appearing upon her lips as her ex scratched his scar.

"_Well_, Arra," Larten said in a very sarcastic and frustrated tone. He had been the one leading them to Evanna and now he was the one that had gotten them lost. Like most men in that situation, however, Larten wasn't going to admit it, "We are in a field. There are cows watching us and a farmhouse to the left."

Arra groaned and put her face in her hands, "You're lost."

"I am not," Larten retorted with a growl.

"_Where are we then_?"

"In Europe still."

Gavner grasped Darren and pulled him back as the former couple began shouting heatedly at each other. Darren couldn't believe they were acting so hot headed; he'd never seen Mr Crepsley rage so much.

"You're such an idiot, Larten! We could have bought a map if you didn't know where we were!" Arra shouted.

"Oh, so this is my fault?" Larten roared back, "You have seen her more than I! You were once her assistant!"

Arra rolled her eyes, "Oh, yeah. I forgot the only time you ever visited her was when _you were off your face_!"

"**Do not** take that tone with **me**," Larten threatened, pointing a shaky finger at Arra. His face was crimson red, the veins in his neck looking more prominent.

"Come on then," Arra near screamed, arms out at her side, "You. Me. Right here. Right now. Come on."

"I am not hitting a _woman_," Larten hissed, Gavner and Darren gasping behind him. They were completely horrified that Larten had dared to say anything like that to Arra, the biggest feminist since Emily Pankhurst.

"What did you say?" Arra growled, taking a step closer to Larten, her eyes burning with fury.

"_You heard me fine and clear_," Larten spat, "_I do not hit **girls**_."

The expression on Arra's face said nothing but the knee which smacked Larten square in the groin said it all. As Larten fell, she cursed and stormed off back towards the woods. Turning round, the men could see she had tears in her eyes, "_**Dickhead!**_"

"_**Ugly bitch!**_" Larten shrieked, rolling on the floor in agony as Arra seemed to want ran away.

"Arra!" Darren called, running after her as Gavner looked down at Larten with a smirk.

"You deserve that, mate," Gavner nodded. He felt terrible for Arra, there was no need for Larten to have behaved so harshly towards her.

This was the reason they broke up; the arguing. They were great together, both equally as sarcastic and cold on the outer shell and before their friends but behind closed doors they were the complete opposite. They were themselves alone, unafraid to tell the other how they were feeling and what they secretly thought of things. Arra had been more open than Larten; she told him her entire past whilst he held her, stroking her thick dark hair as she cried into his chest. In time, he too snuggled into her for comfort and slowly released the secrets of his own past. Yet when the couple argued, they argued, and it went downhill from there.

They bullied each other, shouted, screamed blue bloody murder. Larten became jealous of everyone she spoke to, constantly watching her as she danced with other men and not him. Vice versa, Arra teased him for a reaction. She would deliberately dress and dance provocatively before him. Their relationship became a tug of war, scoring points till eventually, in a blind rage, Larten destroyed their chamber, threw their coffin against the wall as a mirror shattered under his fist.

Arra had cried as he ripped apart the home they made together within the mountain, screaming for him to stop and calm down. She sobbed her apology but his eyes were an inferno of anger. Only when he snatched her jewellery box did she physically try to restrain him;

_"Larten! No! That's my mother's!" Arra wept, trying to grab the small musical box back from him, as he tipped its contents to the floor and stomped on all of her necklaces and ear rings. The pearl necklace he'd bought her on shattering into tiny pieces upon the stone floor, "Larten! Please!"_

_"Shut up!" Larten roared in her face, "Who was that man? Hmm? Who was he?"_

_"He was just a friend," Arra cried, "I told you that!"_

_"Don't lie to me!" Larten fumed, slamming her box on the table; even in his rage he hadn't the immorality to destroy her most sacred possession. "I saw you with your tongue down his throat. Never once did you pull away and you knew I could see!"_

_"Oh shut the fuck up," Arra yelled, "I love you. Only you. I was just playing. I wanted to hurt you for hurting me!"_

_"I cannot take this anymore," Larten cried, dropping to his knees with his head held in his hands, sobbing violently as he knelt surrounded by the irreparable mess he had created. "How did this become so evil? How did we end up so horrible?"_

_"I love you," Arra wept, kneeling beside him as she tried to hold his face to hers, "Everyone fights, everyone yells at each other."_

_"Not every woman will hit her man," he croaked, "Not every woman calls her man ugly."_

_"I was angry, baby," she moaned, "I love you so much."_

_"I cannot take this anymore," Larten continued to cry as he stood and made for the door._

_Arra watched in horror as her love of ten years grabbed his jacket and prepared to leave her there, surrounded by the destroyed remnants of their decade together. Tears fell from her eyes as she recalled all the childish bickering and point scoring. How she regretted pushing him against the wardrobe the other day. How she regretted kissing that stupid idiot in the Games Hall. How she hated calling him names. How she hated hitting him. How she hated that they had destroyed each other._

_"D-d-don't come luh-looking for m-me," Larten croaked as he sniffed loudly before flitting out of the tunnel and out of the mountain, leaving her as he, too, regretted his behaviour. He was aggressive and tantrum prone. He'd demanded her full attention. He controlled what she wore when they went out. He controlled who she spoke to. He controlled what she could and couldn't do. She was constantly subjected to his awkwardness and stubbornness, his name calling and belittling comments. She was pressured into sex whenever he felt like it, on his terms and how he wanted it; she had no choice but to do it just to avoid an argument._

_He was a monster to her and she was one to him._

"How're your balls?" Gavner asked, breaking Larten out of his reminiscing of he and Arra's break up.

"Sore," he mumbled as he stood with Gavner's help. "I think I should speak to Arra,"

Gavner bit his lip somewhat but nodded, "I think Darren went to check on her."

"Yeah," Larten nodded, not even caring that he used a youthful, un-Larten word. He staggered towards the woods, following the familiar scents of his friends.

_**Meanwhile…**_

"I hate him so much," Arra growled, snapping a branch repetitively. She was shaking, tears still in her eyes. Darren didn't know where to look and just kept silent, letting her speak, "I knew staying with him, coming on this stupid quest, was bullshit. We should have stayed back home. I can't do this, not with him here. What the fuck were we thinking about?"

Darren sighed and shook his head, "Do you really hate him?"

"Of course not," Arra sighed, "I just hate how much of a patronizing arse he is."

Their heads snapped up when they heard Larten approach, a few trees along from them with a long face and an awkward stance, "Darren, may we have a moment alone?" he asked in a gravelly voice.

It wasn't a question. Darren knew Mr Crepsley's tones well. He was ordering him and for once Darren did as told straight away, scurrying away from the couple. He glanced over his shoulder as he passed his mentor, Arra's tears finally falling in the presence of the man she loved but loathed all in one.

Gavner was sat cooking a rabbit on a spit roast when Darren joined him beside the field.

"How's Arra?" he asked as Darren approached.

"Upset," he sighed, laying on his back and studying the stars as he awaited his mentor and Arra to finish talking so they could find out where they actually were and what they were to do next.

**Not too keen on this chapter but then again I'm not too keen on anything other than my bed and plenty pain killers xD Drank stupid amounts last night so I deserve this beastly hangover.**

**Just thought I'd write a little of A/L but, tbh, I think I was more influenced into writing that after a good five Buckie-Bombs and belting out 'I love the Way You Lie' at the top of my voice on the way home.**

**Sorry for the crappy chapter :/ I'll try to make Chapter Twelve better, promise.**

**Preston :(**

**(sad face for hangover)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Kurda walked through the halls of Vampire Mountain, his heart heavy under the burden of Mr Tiny's Prophecy. _**A Vampire King**_?

Vancha March was still out there, the last remaining Prince. Logically, Kurda naturally assumed that the King would be him but then again nothing was so simple where Mr Tiny was concerned.

It would be lies if he said he didn't feel guilty for what he had done but it was for the greater good too. He had studied with the vampaneze and found their method of government more reliable than having two or three selected rulers who could decide the faith of the entire clan. He preferred the unanimous voting that the vampaneze did as well as their lack of restraining rules. It, in his opinion, was a fairer system, a freer system.

"Lord Kurda," a gruff voice called as the doors of the House of Lords snapped open.

Kurda's head snapped up and he studied the man before him. He was a tall man with a broad face and surprisingly small beady eyes. His nose hooked a little though under the heavy silver helmet he wore it was barely noticeable.

"Ah, Lord Gannen," Kurda greeted warmly, the man's green cape dragging behind him as he approached, the 'klink-klink' of his armour bringing a smile to Kurda's youthful face. "Have the Thought Police made any further advancement in their search for Vancha?"

The Thought Police were very much the KGB of the vampaneze; a group of elite vampaneze who played the part of the clan's inspectors and police men. They also dealt with torture which was infamous and terrifying to the vampire workers; they were the reason that the vampires hadn't rioted against the vampaneze or tried to escape.

Kurda had heard Gannen's officers called many things; KGB, the Cheka, Kurda's SS, the Gestapo, but the Thought Police was his personal favourite. It had surprised him to hear Gavner Purl call them that all those years ago; he had underestimated Gavner's knowledge of human classical literature.

"No, Kurda. They have not. From what some humans said there was a man with green hair running around with a band of other peculiar dressed men," Gannen reported, his voice so booming and strong that Kurda struggled not to feel a little intimidated by this purple skinned beast, "Do you think he is _their_ King?"

Kurda was slow to shake his head, "Vancha's been gathering vampires up for years now. It's old news. I don't think we should look too much into it but rather be aware that it is happening," he prided himself on his answer before furthering his own queries. "What news do you have of the escapees and how goes the search for the True Vampaneze Lord?"

Gannen's solemn face slowly developed into a slight smile, "Five people we have stumbled into have requested they try the coffin. They are making their peace with their human God, as we speak, in the Halls of Worship. You may meet them yourself, Kurda. I'm most positive about them for the sheer fact that they made the trek here as though it were indeed nothing." His smile grew into a frown, "We had a lead in the early days of the search. An old lady, Ruth Grimble or Gamble or Grimly, it doesn't really matter now; we executed her for blood. She said she'd had guests to their description but they had left to visit someone called _Evelyn_,"

"You think she meant Evanna?" Kurda groaned; old ladies were so dithery and forgetful.

Gannen didn't even hesitate as he nodded, "Kurda, in my humblest opinion I think we should call of the search of the True Vampaneze Lord and place more men on the search for Gavner, Arra, Larten and the boy. As well as that I think we should also be chasing up Vancha too. If Tiny's telling the truth we should try and stem the problem before it becomes a pandemic."

Kurda nodded at that, his hand feeling around his neck as he worriedly recalled Tiny's prophecy:

"_A vampire will rise and lead an army against you and it will be your head, Kurda, that will roll before the battle is won,"_

"Yes. Yes I agree. Send your best men out there, Gannen. I want their heads on sticks in the Ghettos as a marker for those other workers that there is no escape without consequences," Kurda said firmly, glaring down at Gannen who nodded and flitted from the room to ready his men.

_The only hope, _Kurda thought_, are these five humans in my Mountain._

**Just thought I'd pop up a quick Chapter 12 :)**

**I have a rough idea who the vampire king will be but I'm really curious to see who you guys think it'll be so please comment and tell me you thoughts on it :D**

**Also, just thought I'd say I'm feeling a lot better; it's taken over twelve hours but I can safetly say I'm well :D**

**Thanks everyone for the supportive reviews!**

**Preston :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter thirteen**

Arra could barely stare at Larten let alone listen to his words. She felt sick that he, the man she still considered to be her bestfriend in life, had spoken to her in such a manner. "Did you mean what you said?" she asked softly, her voice sounding incredibly hurt, "That you think I am an _'ugly bitch'_?"

"Of course I do not," Larten grumbled, "You are and will always be the prettiest _bitch_ I know," he was glad she laughed at that, otherwise he would have made things a lot worse for himself, "You are one of my _best friends_, Arra. We fight, yes, but everyone fights. I remember arguing with Darren over his mood swings back when he was being a Stormin' Norman. It is natural and we are all tense. Not once did I mean what I said, though after that kick to the nether regions I am not so sure,"

"_Stop making me smile_," Arra laughed the moaned, slapping his thigh, "I'm trying to be mad with you, you sexist wanker." He looked in her eyes to see if she were seriousbut was glad that she was smiling slightly at him.

"I think we should head back to Gavner and Darren," Larten suggested as he stood and stretched his bony frame. Arra nodded and copied before Larten extended his arms, "Let us hug it out," he said.

Arra rolled her eyes but walked into his embrace as they cuddled, barely making contact before they parted, "You owe me big, Mister, but we are friends again so I expect that anyway," she muttered, pointing a finger at him.

"Of course, Arra," Larten chuckled as they walked back towards the others.

It was only when he studied the scenery did he notice how deathly silent the woods had become. There were no birds tweeting, no insects buzzing, no noise at all. As they were walking, Larten tuned out of Arra completely, allowing his senses to become one with the environment. Something didn't feel right in his bones.

A twig snapped behind them though Arra hadn't seemed to notice- probably because she didn't suspect anything sinister. Larten's nostrils detected an over whelming smell of dung which completely threw him; the field was forwards yet this smell was coming directly behind us.

A gun cocked.

"Larten do you smell any-"

"**Duck**!" Larten roared, spinning around instantly, coming face to face with seven purple masked men, swords, knives, axes and two gun-like blow pipes pointing directly at them. As Arra ducked, a dart flew over her head, eyes wide in shock.

Larten growled and lunged for the man who'd fired the dart, pinning him down but soon over powered by three of the largest men he had ever seen.

"Larten, the clearing!" Arra as she tripped one of the attackers over, pointing towards another gang of the purple masked men with two figures being dragged, one small and one large, each wearing jeans, a black bag over their heads. Darren and Gavner.

Larten looked briefly then continued to fight, his punches having little effect on their attackers. A sudden sharp pain nipped the small of his back. He staggered for a moment, bleary eyes watching Arra who'd been struck by a dart in the arm and was currently being tied and bagged.

Shortly, Larten's whole world went black…

_**A few hours later….**_

Gavner could see nothing but he could hear everything. The purple masks were dragging he and his friends somewhere, their chatter growing louder and louder as they grew more confident in their work. He couldn't believe how easily they had all been over whelmed.

Darren fought like a tiger but was eventually darted like Gavner had been though Gavner was sure his dart was nowhere near as embarrassing as his, for Gavner had been hit on the butt and knew that if Larten found out then he would never live it down.

Gavner could have sworn he heard a gate open and could have sworn they were being dragged on well-worn ground now, not the marshy dew soaked grass they had been. This place had been built, he was nearly completely sure of that, and by the smell they were serving smoked kippers. Gavner's belly started gurgling greedily as his thoughts drifted to smoked haddock and cod. Delicious.

"La'en?" a female voice called groggily.

"Arra?" Gavner asked, surprised they weren't being told to shut up by their captives.

"'Avn'r?" Arra slurred, the dart's effects still very much at work with her body, even if she were conscious.

"W'uld you guys sh'u'up? Im try'n to sl'ep," another, deeper voice growled roughly.

"La'en?" Arra called again, "Wh'r' ah we?"

"Whatre you onabout?" Larten moaned, "we're in ma coffin"

"Even me and Gavner?" Darren chipped in, like Gavner his dose was wearing off.

"Yeah," Larten slurred, "now shut up an Arra g't you 'its out firrr the lads,"

"W'at?" Arra called.

Darren smirked within his black bag, "He said get your ti-"

A forceful kick from Gavner silenced him; the last thing he wanted for the group was them at it with their fists and nasty words again. He could feel the men dragging him and his friends begin to slow down to a complete stop before they were all dropped. Gavner could feel someone heavy land on his back as his bag was ripped clean off his face and his eyes were subjected to the horrific brightness of the moon.

"Ah, fuck," Darren growled beside him, squeezing his eyes tight together.

A sudden figure stood above them, his face shadowed as he stood before the moon, glaring down at the emaciated faces and bodies of the new arrivals.

Gavner closed his eyes, preparing for a swift end when, suddenly, the figure spoke.

"Gavner? Is that Gavner Purl, the General?" he asked in an instantly familiar voice that had Gavner relax and lay out on the floor calmly, "Aye it is you! And the Generals Arra Sails and Larten Crepsley!"

"Aye, sire," Gavner smiled, "long time no speak, Prince Vancha."

**Again another short chapter; just moving the story a bit further on :)**

**Thanks for the comments as always and I'll try and have Chapter fourteen up tomorrow if not tonight :D**

**Preston (:**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Darren was in complete awe of Prince Vancha March. He was the complete opposite to any vampire that Darren had ever witnessed in his life, completely gob-smacked as he and his friends sat up high in a tree house, before a wooden desk which they all sat around, cross legged whilst Larten recited the entire story to him. Whilst he listened, the Prince began chewing his toe nails like some sort of beast and Darren couldn't help but stare wide eyed: That was a Prince?

"So," Vancha pointed a dirty fat finger at Darren once Larten had concluded his discussion, "You failed your Trials?"

Darren dropped his gaze, "Yes, sire," he mumbled, "It was interrupted by the invasion but you are right, I failed. Due to the current circumstances at the mountain I was not condemned to death however if you wish for my head now, as you are of course still my leader, I will go quietly and without trouble."

Vancha stared at Darren, his beady eyes wide and his bushy eyebrows fixed in an amused expression. He looked across at Larten and laughed, "What the Hell have you done to this kid? He sounds so far up his own arse! Give him orange and a banana shaped scar down his chops and I'd swear Tiny cloned you!"

"I am nothing like him!" Darren snapped, Arra, Gavner and Larten's attentions being instantly diverted to Darren.

"Are you shouting at your Prince, Darren?" Vancha growled, his mane of green seemed to bristle as he leant closer to the boy, "You know that's a killable sin, right?"

"You have offended me, Sire," Darren snarled, "I may be the Assistant of Larten Crepsley but I am my own person."

Vancha leer became a grin as he leant forward and clasped Darren's shoulders. "I like you. You've got balls and I like that in fresh blood. I can see we're going to get on well." When he removed his hand, Darren could see a grubby stain on his cardigan which made him sigh; he looked even more dishevelled.

"What're you doing with a group of people in a tree, anyways?" Gavner asked as he ate a deer's leg raw. "Sire," he burped.

Vancha smiled, "What do you think, Gavner?" he changed the question, "What do you think I've spent my last seventeen years doing?" The three full vampires blushed and looked to the floor for no one wanted to answer; each of the vampires loathed how Vancha had never once sent word or appeared to make the effort to help them. It was as though he had vanished from the face of the earth.

Seeing his comrades look to the floor he shook his head, "Well, I never abandoned you if that's what you think. I've been working. I've been building a Resistance."

"A Resistance?" Larten echoed curiously.

"An Army, like what Mr Tiny prophesized. We've been building one for nearly seventeen years, got well over two hundred vampires here that hadn't attended Council and there are still hundreds on their way. We want that place back in vampire control by the end of this year." Vanch nodded, "We live up in these trees for a better look out position and to avoid humans poking their noses into our affairs."

"Very clever," Arra complimented, making Larten twitch. He recalled what she had said about find Vancha somewhat attractive and, even though she had been joking, he felt jealously flaring in his gut.

"Aye," Vancha smiled at Arra, grinning when he saw her blush somewhat. Larten's hands bunched into a fist, "I'll take you on a tour of Fort Resistance if you want, later on," he winked playfully whilst she giggled girlishly. She never laughed like that for Larten or Gavner.

The jealousy was unmistakable in Larten's eyes which had narrowed considerably, his lips a thin line on his face. "Perhaps you would rather rest, Arra? It has been a long night after all," he asked, half hopeful.

"You can rest, Larten. I want to catch up with Vancha," Arra waved him away which hurt Larten clearly.

Vancha seemed oblivious to his friend's emotions, "Aye, rest sounds good, Larten. You, Darren and Gavner feel free to relax and unwind here, in my room. Arra, shall we?"

"Of course," Arra smiled, loving how Vancha offered her his arm, "I'll see you guys in an hour or two or three."

"Okay," Darren smiled as he grasped a pillow off one of the many wooden counters and made himself at home. He yawned and stretched out upon the wooden floor, glad for the roof over their head, "Do you guys still think Vancha is the king?" he asked, looking towards Larten and Gavner.

"Yes," Larten growled, clearly not in the mood to discuss Vancha as he turned his back on his friends and proceeded to sulk.

"What's wrong with him?" Darren whispered as Gavner lay beside him.

"He's jealous that Arra's getting some and he's not," he strained as he stretched his neck and shoulders.

"Getting what?" Darren whispered innocently. His time in the Mountain had meant the half vampire had lived a very sheltered and recluse life. The world had broken him but it was yet to shatter his childhood innocence.

"Sex, Darren," Gavner laughed softly at how Darren's face screwed up whilst he glared at Mr Crepsley.

"Ew," was all he said back to Gavner as he lay back and stared at the moss littered roof.

"But to answer your earlier question, yeah, I think Vancha is our boy," Gavner nodded, "You can't build an army and a settlement in trees without having a higher purpose, you know?"

"Do you remember what Mr Tiny said about going to Evanna's too?" Darren furthered. He was proud of himself for such an accurate memory.

"I would begin by walking to Lady Evanna's. From there," he shrugged, "just have a wonder. You never know what or who you will meet when you just let your feet decide where you want to go,"

"Tiny said nothing about seeing Evanna," Darren added, "He wanted us to walk here, to Vancha and the Resistance."

Gavner laughed once more, "You have convinced me further!" he said then added in a whisper, "Larten and I are going training with Vancha tomorrow morning, you know, to get back in shape?"

"That sounds like a good idea," Darren nodded, "I get the feeling that even I could beat you up."

"I wouldn't go as far to say that, Shanster," Gavner laughed.

"Must you insist on such childish slandering and discussions? I am attempting to sleep but Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb are making far too much noise for that to be possible!" Larten yelled from across the room.

Gavner and Darren looked at each other, struggling to supress laughter.

"Naa'aaw," Gavner cooed, "Feeling stressed that Arra's snogging Vanc-"

Gavner was cut off suddenly as Larten pounced on his chest, eye wild and angry, "Hold your tongue," he snapped.

"What the Hell!" Darren gasped as Gavner took a swing at his friend who in return slammed his head to the wooden floor, splintering the wood. Deciding to act fast, Darren ran up behind Larten and wrapped one arm around his neck and the other around his arm, "What's wrong with you! You're friends!" he shouted as Larten thrashed around.

"I was only fucking joking," Gavner groaned, plucking the woodened shrapnel from his forehead.

"Do not speak like that!" Larten spat, "Arra is not like that. She is not a slut. She is not interested in Vancha. How can she be?"

"Do you still like her?" Gavner frowned, eyes widening when the thrashing stopped and his orange headed friend looked to the floor shyly. When he didn't answer but rather sulked and felt sorry for himself, Gavner pressed the question, "Larten? Do you still love Arra?"

"Yes," Larten sighed, "I never stopped loving her. I tried to get over her; you recall my one-night affairs with human women? Nothing felt right, it lacked everything."

"Of course a one night stand has you feeling like that," Gavner said softly, "There is nothing in it but lust and that's not a relationship."

"I know but," he shrugged, "We were terrible together. She would hit me, I would follow her, I would call her one thing, she would call me another."

"Aye," Gavner smiled, "but that was the bad times. You had over eight, nine years of 'I love you' or cuddling up or being romantic," he pointed out.

Larten thought hard about that and sighed. Their relationship only seemed to go downhill around the end, the last few months were intense and stressful. He had just quit the generals and was constantly bored with no direction or purpose. She was the opposite and never there, always away with official General duties. Whenever Arra came back she only wanted to relax and enjoy peace before she had to leave again for another mission or to go scouting. It was in those moments that Larten became more clingy, not wanting her to leave the coffin with him. He justified that he just wanted to spend time with her but in reality he was afraid she'd break off their mating arrangement. His mind slowly started drifting to satisfaction; if he wasn't with her to fulfil her innate bodily needs then was their another man? That's when he began pushing sex upon her, wanting to bring her closer to him but ironically his frequent pressuring only drove them further apart. Then the real arguments began.

"I do not want to be hurt again and I do not want to hurt her either," Larten sighed, feeling Darren's hold loosen. "If she likes Vancha then I think she should go for it. If she just wants to have…lustful relations, then I will hold my tongue. We are not a couple and we will never be one again."

With that, Larten stood and walked across the room once more, lay down, and slept.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter fifteen**

Gavner cursed loudly as he smacked his head upon the ground after a thirty foot drop. Groaning he rolled onto his back and dizzily stared up at Vancha and Larten. Larten was still hanging from his branch, using what muscles he had to continue to perform chin ups.

"Come on, Larten," Vancha growled as the vampire struggled to keep himself rising and falling, "I've seen children go faster!"

"I…am….try-ing," he strained as he lifted himself once more, "Shit!" he gasped as his grip caved and he fell, slamming into the ground with an 'oofft!'

Gavner laughed, panting as Vancha leapt from the top branch and landed perfectly before him. He struggled to remember the days he had been as ripped as Vancha; the formal General was nicked named the Gentle Giant for his friendliness yet massive build. Now Gavner was twiggy though nowhere as thin as Larten.

"That was pathetic," Vancha snarled bluntly, "I do not tolerate such weakness in my Resistance!" Both Larten and Gavner dropped their heads, "Fifty laps of the field, flitting!" he demanded, grabbing both Larten and Gavner by the scruffs and throwing them to their feet as they looked at each other nervously and jogged towards the edge of the woods.

"Gavner, I cannot flit," Larten whispered as Vancha followed, intending to count and time them, "My legs are completely useless."

"You'll have to flit or you wont get your dinner again and you can't keep exercising like this without proper food," Gavner muttered. He was worried for his friend; they had been training with Vancha for only two weeks now and Larten hadn't seemed to be getting any fitter or stronger and failure to do the tasks Vancha set meant no dinner. Larten couldn't afford to go four days without food in a row now. "It's natural. Don't worry. You'll just need to warm your legs up," he smiled, noticing the depression in Larten's eyes as they connected with the farm track.

"Get flitting," Vancha growled. "Every time you finish one lap you do fifty press ups and with every lap you complete you get one less press up. If you fail to flit you will have one added press up. Understood?"

The men nodded sombrely. "It's okay, Larten. Copy me," Gavner nodded with a sympathetic smile as he turned to the track before them then began running, then sprinting till he was the equivalent to that of a professional Olympic athlete before he started to flit, disappearing from sight completely.

Larten watched worriedly before Vancha growled, "Get flitting, Crepsley,"

"Sire, I cannot flit," Larten near enough whimpered; it was so embarrassing. His face was crimson red.

"Are you taking the fucking piss?" Vancha snapped, "You better get running, man, or I will make sure you do not eat for the next two weeks!"

As Gavner slowed to perform his fifty and reducing press ups, Larten set off and proceeded to have an increasing amount of press ups.

_**Meanwhile...**_

Arra was in her element as she and a few other vampires in the resistance pelted each other with heavy canes, balancing on a tightrope as she swotted and gradually defeated every opponent to step forward and verse her. The bars had been her life back at the mountain and, despite all that had happened, she still prided herself on her indefeatable reputation.

"Shan, how're you getting on?" she asked as she approached Darren with a cup of boiled rice.

"Fine," Darren smiled, soaked from head to toe and shivering, "Me and my group went out to the lake and were doing some laps. It was fantastic. I feel so strong with healthy food, blood and exercise."

"Brilliant Darren," Arra grinned as she offered him a handful of her rice to keep him warm, "Where're you going now?"

"To get dressed," Darren smiled, "then to get something to eat. Have you heard from Mr Crepsley and Gav?"

Arra winced. She had seen Larten dragging himself behind Gavner and Vancha. He was struggling but Gavner was excelling. In fact, when he was getting dressed this morning, Arra could see a definite muscular build developing. As jolly as ever, Gavner shrugged it off and reversed the compliment saying that they all looked well.

"Yes. Larten is seeing to some blisters on his feet and hands and Gavner is eating with Vancha," Arra smiled, not wanting Darren's spirit broken over worry for Larten, "They were doing pull ups and laps today."

"Oh, wicked," Darren smiled, "I am doing that tomorrow at some point, hopefully," he nodded. "I'll leave you to your lunch and get out of these wet clothes."

"Aye. Speak to you at day time, Shan," Arra nodded as Darren waddled over to their tree and began the climb up the trunk to their shelter. She finished her rice then returned to practice.

_**Later...**_

Gavner stretched out in his seat, picking at his rice and boiled vegetables. To his left, Larten sat with a crusty slice of bread and water, exhaustion in his eyes.

"So, here we were in this valley when guess what?" Vancha asked with a grin, "The Thought Police found us. We struggled against them but eventually, only losing two and killing four, we managed to escape and hide."

Gavner clapped and Larten nodded, "Excellent story, Sire."

"Aye," Vancha smiled warmly. He was completely different outside of training; he was fun, warm and welcoming with a great sense of humour and a brilliant barrel of stories from the last seventeen years that had Larten and Gavner in kinks. "So, where do you think we can find this sword?" he asked curiously and a little out of the blue. He hated Tiny and was incredibly shy to speak of his prophecy and meddling's. When the group shared their belief to him that he was the King he had snorted and laughed at them.

"We have no idea," Gavner sighed, "Perhaps Lady Evanna will know?"

"If she does she wont tell you," Vancha grumbled, "That Wench is shy to tell a fish it's a fish."

"Interesting metaphor, Sire," Larten added with a bemused smirk.

"It's true, Crepsley. She'll maybe send us on the right path but we wont know any more than that or what stupid riddle she will give us." Vancha mumbled, "Then again, we could as well not bother and just continue to push for an attack by the Resistance. With the exclusion of you, Larten, everyone's at an admirable level of fitness," he winked and went to add more when a low, growling voice added from the food court door.

"You wouldn't be so stupid as to ignore the path of Destiny, would you, Vancha?"

All three men blushed and looked up at the ugliest hag imaginable; short and hairy with ropes wrapped around her in a peculiar fashion to act as clothes.

"Forgive our ignorance, Lady Evanna," Larten nodded bashfully, "Would you care to join us for supper?"

"I thought you would never ask," the Witch smiled knowingly as she plonked her bottom beside Vancha and opposite Gavner. "I have a _stupid riddle_ to give you to help you locate the _**King's Sword!**_,"


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter sixteen**

Arra and Darren joined the men in their room up in the tree in which they had been staying in.

Lady Evanna smiled at them, closely examining Darren before nodding in approval. She assumed a seat where all in the room could study her and hear her. There was so much tension emitted from them that she couldn't help but smirk slightly, revealing her horrible yellow wolfish teeth.

"So, how have you all been fairing?" The Witch started with a smile, "You look amazing compared to some of the poor suckers in Vampire Mountain."

The group winced but nodded, "Aye," Gavner smiled. "We are a lot healthier and it's great to be free but at the moment we're working as hard as we can to rebuild our strength and stamina."

"So I can see," Evanna nodded then her eyes cast to Larten. She could see the sadness in his eyes, the torture watching Arra and Vancha getting closer, the fact he was unable to shake his emaciated condition, Seba's death… "You look amazing, Larten," she smiled, "I can see you've been working your socks off but it's really paying off."

The sudden gleam her little comment had created in his eyes and the shy smile melted her heart; he definitely needed the pickup.

"I am trying," he beamed, "I wish to be a worthy comrade in the heat of battle,"

"Well keep it up!" Evanna smiled happily then grew serious, "You haven't made much headway of your quest though, have you?"

"No," Arra sighed, "We got lost and then we met Vancha and we have been here since."

"I see," Evanna nodded, "Do you not have a rough incline?"

"No, Lady," Gavner winced, "Honestly, we have been trying to guess who're King is,"

"Who do you think your king is?" she asked with a knowing smile. The group tensioned when she stared at them as she was.

"We thought it was maybe Vancha," Darren muttered as Vancha snorted and spat upon the floor.

Evanna grinned at Darren, staring him straight in the eye. So strong, she thought, for someone so young. He had a noble jaw, deep set blue eyes and thick dark hair which Evanna couldn't help but smile at, "I _suggest_, Mr Shan, you and your friends turn your attention to finding your sword."

Darren could feel Mr Cepsley protectively placing his hand on the floor before him, his forearm between Darren and Evanna. "We will bare that in mind," Larten nodded, smiling to show his sudden protectiveness, "but you mentioned a clue to its location?"

"I did, Larten," Evanna smiled, sipping a glass of tea which she had asked Vancha for previously.

"Aye, Lady?" Vancha nodded, "Where would you recommend we search?"

Evanna looked at the Prince with a curious smile, "What makes you think it's your destiny to help these four find the sword?"

"Because you're yet to tell me I'm barking up the wrong tree," Vancha winked confidently before belching.

Larten and Gavner sighed and commenced to sip their tea. Loyal to his best friend, Gavner didn't want Vancha with them for the sheer reason his flirting with Arra, though harmless, wound Larten up.

"You're too smart for me, Vancha," Evanna laughed then grew serious once more, "I would recommend you get your skinny bottoms to the city of _**********_,"

At the name of the city, Larten sprayed his tea out at speed, coughing and spluttering.

"_Larten_!" Arra growled at the mess he created.

"That is my home. That is where Seba found me," he muttered in complete shock, Darren looking ice white now as he recalled the Vampaneze in the sewers which they had left to rot.

"Well I _suggest_ you should perhaps start there," Evanna smiled, "Once more, I think you should _follow the signs_."

"What signs will there be?" Gavner asked. He couldn't understand that there would be marked signs in which they could follow. It opened up a whole list of new questions; What were they looking for? How obvious were these imposed signs?

"I can't tell you that, Mr Purl, but I can promise you that you will know what I mean when you see the sign." Evanna nodded with a smirk as she continued to drink. "I can tell you right now, however, that Lord Gannen and the Thought Police have found five potential humans and, having subjected them one after the other, a man has risen from the Coffin of Fire with only mild burns. They have their True Lord," she said softly, her friend's eyes dimming slightly at the news; they were running out of time. "Remember, though. Just because they _have_ their true Lord doesn't mean that you _can't_ still win. The True Lord will heavily _influence_ the final outcome however," she added but could see her words had troubled the vampires.

"I think we could stay here for a bit longer," Vancha nodded, "You guys are not at your strongest," he said.

"Aye, but the longer we wait the longer the entire clan waits," Gavner growled somewhat angrily- he was never so aggressive, not at least to a prince. "There are lives up there which are slowly being wasted away. We can't afford to keep spending weeks and months training for a fight if we have no one to fight for!"

"We have the Mountain to fight for," Vancha snarled, a little annoyed by Gavner's comment, "We are fighting for our rights to own Vampire Mountain is definitely one of them."

"What's the point of fighting for our rights when lives are being lost because these vampires have had their rights revoked?" Gavner countered, "We can't hang around. Tiny said to follow my feet and go where ever I felt and I feel like going to Larten's city and finding this stone before charging up and doing my duty as a General."

Vancha glared at Gavner for his undermining attitude. He looked at Arra, Larten and Darren for their back up; they weren't ready to fight yet.

Larten was the first to express his opinion, "Apologise, Sire, but I am loyal to Gavner. Do not think me a bad vampire for disagreeing with you, Vancha, but I would seriously consider leaving now."

"Yeah," Darren nodded, "You have no idea what it was like there…" he nearly whimpered as he recalled the Ghettos and beatings, lice and illness, bullying and segregating.

"And you think so too, Arra?" Vancha asked but frowned when she nodded, eyes to the floor. "Then majority wins. As a Prince I have to do what my people feel best." Sighing, he shook his head, "but I cannot afford to leave the tree fortress right now; another hundred or so are traveling here to help us and I don't want to miss their welcoming."

"Understandable, sire," Larten muttered.

"Come on then," Gavner nodded, "Lets go right now and get this sword,"

"Aye," Arra smiled and stood, checking she had her small daggers hanging from her thick leather belt. Since arriving at the Resistance Tree Fortress she, Darren, Larten and Gavner had equipped themselves in lethal weapons which they were favourable on. Larten and Gavner copied Arra and checked their knives were accounted for whilst Darren pulled his sword sheath strap over his shoulder then put on his shoes.

"Larten, a word in private please," Evanna nodded as the group began to descend to the ground floor at once. Larten looked somewhat confused and so stared at Evanna questioningly for an answer. Evanna smiled slightly, "Still struggling to flit?"

"Aye," Larten said, unable to escape the crimson hue which spread across his cheeks, "I have tried several times but I cannot seem to. It is as though I do not have the muscles on my legs that I used to rely on to flit."

"It sounds like a psychological thing, Larten," Evanna shrugged, "You're being held back by something, someone…. I know Seba died and I can see clearly how close Arra has grown with Vancha." At this Larten dropped his gaze, "But you have to remember that this is bigger than you. There are people dying, Larten. They need you to be stronger now. I know you have it in you. You're so brave and honest and they are respectable qualities for any vampire to have. You are loyal and dutiful, wise and cunning," she could see him smile slightly, "I don't know if you are having a midlife crisis or what but you need to start believing in yourself again, Larten."

"I just do not feel as though I have anything to be dutiful too," he shrugged, "It is so hard to explain but I would never in my wildest dreams think I would be in a position that I was…free? You know, free with no authority to tell me what I can and cannot do. It is fantasticly exhilarating but I purposeless."

"This quest is your purpose now, Larten. Your people are your purpose. Darren is your purpose." Evanna stressed the last part, catching Larten's suspicious eyes, "You have to keep an eye on Darren, Larten. Promise me, watch his back. He's so young but he needs you and will need you in the coming future."

_**Previously, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of miles towards the Carpathian Mountains….**_

The cheers amongst Vampire Mountain rippled through the Hall of Lords, seas of purple and red bouncing up and down upon the spot with their arms held high in the air. Chanting dominated the entire Mountain as Lord Kurda, Lord Gannen, Lord Glalda and the True Lord of the Vampaneze, stood upon the grounded platform, smiling at their people.

"I will assemble my men now and complete the search for Vancha and the Escapees," Gannen whispered in Kurda's ear before swiftly abandoning them on stage to ready the Thought Police, leaving Kurda, Glalda and the True Lord.

The True Lord…Kurda couldn't believe that out of the five humans Gannen had brought to be tested within the Coffin, one had actually been the True Lord and hadn't burnt to death within the legendary gold plated box. He, out of the whole five, had been the last to go and despite having watched and heard the other four screaming their painful deaths, he entered unphased and strong.

Kurda believed the man, for he was an adult, to have some form of dark streak within him which worried the vampire. If he was in fact destructive then everything Kurda had worked for would be unwound. Still, as their new Lord stood before his loyal purple skinned people, Kurda couldn't help but feel apart of something special as they chanted their King's name over and over and over again.

"_Leopard! Leopard! Leopard_!"

_**Within the Workers Ghettos….**_

Vanze looked across at his emaciated, dying comrades, their bony frail bodies jutting out from under their brightly coloured, easily distinguishable striped uniforms.

"Dehumanizing reduces the distress that beating us cause on the vampaneze morals. They see us as vermin to be killed when they strip us of our uniforms and shave our heads and starve us. That way they don't feel bad and obliged to stop the cruel treatment," Gavner had said, once in the tunnels. Vanze still smiled; Gavner was a clever chap for sure.

As the sounds of cheering blasted through the Ghetto Halls, Vanze and every other vampire present dropped their gazes to the floor and sighed sadly, a few crying when they smelt the delicious smell of cooked meat and throat wetting ale.

_They'd found their True Lord._

**Hello all ^^**

**Sorry to keep you waiting post wise; The last few days have been pretty amazing for me since it was my School's Final Dance -like a prom, only far far far more Scottish :)- so I've been buying my dress and shoes and getting a tan and seeing to my eyebrows (all the stuff I most hate in the world :L). Still it was a fantastic night, especially when it's your favourite teacher who's buying the drinks for the entire night and you both end up drunkenly dancing to Loch Lommand 3 best night evaarrr**

**Anyways, back to this :)**

**Again, sorry for the long wait. I'm finishing Chapter Seventeen so I'll try and have that up for you tonight (That chapter I think I'm going to get a little more L/A and, of course, get them to find the sword to start their next move. Furthermore I'm adding a slight twist in the next chapter ;; I want to shake things up for the Resistance and the Vampaneze.**

**I wasn't sure if I should give Larten's city a title so i just bleeped it out; in my opinion I could always imagine Larten in a massive city in Britain going through the industrial revoloution but then again I am British and so I guess that's a pretty biased view :P I also named where abouts I thought Vampire Mountain could be and, considering they're situated in one of the most gothic scenerys in the world, *cough*Dracula*cough*, I thought maybe the Carpathian Mountains would be an amazing place. There's a link on my lookup of just how vast and gothic and eerie the Mountains are -I'm a bit of a freak where it comes to nature and the environment and Geography :L**

**Anyway; thanks again for all of your reviews and please, please, please keep them coming! :D**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

Gannen's men flitted from the mountain, down the snow beaten tracks till they were back upon the human built road, snaking around the mountains. They travelled fast and hard, feet barely touching the floor and rarely stopping for more than a second. They were strong, the Thought Police were those Vampaneze who showed an excelling level of power and strength which was why they were the most feared pack within the Mountain.

"**Lord Gannen**?" a purpled skinned officer in heavy silver armour shouted over the wind that flitting created, "**Where is Vancha**?"

"**A few hundred miles ahead**!" Gannen yelled back, "**We will pick up the other Vampaneze and Vampires wanting to join the Resistance and lead them there! We have to tell them of the True Lord's arrival**!"

Gannen was never disloyal to his men but he didn't agree with what was happening in the Mountain. Thankfully, neither did his men and for years and years he and the rest of the Though Police had secretly been helping Vancha. It seemed so stupid to think that, despite performing horrible torturous inflictions upon those poor beasts in the mountain, these men were doing all they could to end their suffering.

Despite only being brothers by blood, Vancha and Gannen, like any siblings, still held that loving bond and Gannen had promised Vancha in the early days of the Vampaneze take over that he would help build this Army. Vampaneze were free creatures and he didn't agree with how suddenly they had invaded another clan's home, thrown them out and nested within their nest. He wanted an end to Kurda and he wanted it soon.

**Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of miles away...**

Gavner, Arra, Darren and Larten drove through the city in silent awe. The taxi through the streets was trapped in traffic meaning that the vampires had a better chance to absorb the high topped skyscrapers, lit up like Christmas trees in the night sky. The old railway stations looked so lost and Victorian but equally as beautiful in comparison to the new modern structures.

Darren noticed that Mr Crepsley seemed to be in his element, his moody expression having lifted the second they got on the train. Darren smiled, his mentor resembled a child in a sweet store, or a child at Christmas or a child at a petting zoo or-

"Look at that **Darren**! Did you see that man walking along the strip? He was dressed up like _**Spiderman**_!" Larten almost squealed.

A child, Darren smiled in conclusion. Mr Crepsley was acting so much like a boy that Darren couldn't help but think to himself that this city, hundreds of years ago, there was once an orange haired boy running around with his friends and family, playing with toys and dreaming about adventure. Darren had no idea what Mr Crepsley's past was like but he imagined it to be like that, a romanticized version of childhood in The olden Days.

The traffic failed to move anyfurther after nearly half an hour. Gavner had fallen asleep in the front seat beside the driver whilst Darren and Arra sat on either side of Larten, the vampire's long legs spread out on their side; he'd grumbled when Darren had explained to rules of 'shotgun' to Arra and Gavner which consequently saw him cramped in the 'bitch seat'.

Darren's head lolled a little before it fell against the window tiredly and soon he too was asleep, leaving Larten, Arra, a grumpy driver and a radio playing songs the vampires were very unfamiliar with.

"How are you?" Larten asked softly, watching the road in front of him.

"Just the usual," Arra shrugged, "I'm fine,"

"Good," Larten nodded.

Silence. Such a silence was unbearable for the pair as they stared out of their respected windows. Both thought the exact same and tuned out of each other's conversation and presence and listened to the radio, unsure what to do or say. Larten smiled, the singer's voice was beautiful.

_"On the first page of our story the future seemed so bright. Then this thing turned out so evil, I don't know why I'm still surprised. Even angels have their wicked schemes and you take that to new extremes. But you'll always be my hero even though you've lost your mind. Just gonna stand there and watch me burn. But that's all right because I like the way it hurts. Just gonna stand there and hear me cry. But that's all right because I love the way you lie. I love the way you lie. Ohhh, I love the way you lie."_

Larten and Arra noticeably shifted in their seats, catching each other's expression in their periphery vision. They each looked uncomfortable, especially beside the other. Their minds drifted to their relationship, how wonderful it started off right through to how evil it became. Arra still loved him, loved him so much but she couldn't do it anymore. She hit him, spat at him called him everything under the sun. He took it all but became more controlling and manipulative. Larten wanted her with him, all the time, suffocating her. He told her lies, everything she wanted to here but none of it true.

_"Now there's gravel in our voices. Glass is shattered from the fight. In this tug of war, you'll always win even when I'm right. 'Cause you feed me fables from your hand, with violent words and empty threats and it's sick that all these battles are what keeps me satisfied. Just gonna stand there and watch me burn. But that's all right because I like the way it hurts. Just gonna stand there and hear me cry. But that's all right because I love the way you lie. I love the way you lie. Ohhh, I love the way you lie"._

Larten felt Arra's hand slowly tighten around his knee cap, shocking himself as his own fingers were gripping her thigh. She sniffed, shifting her gaze to the left to avoid looking at him.

Braving himself, he turned towards her, his fingers running up the familiar concave of her porcelain neck. His breath caught in his throat as he recalled the smoothness of her flawless skin; her pulse was racing faster and faster and he could feel every throb her heart created and how her breath, too, seemed to be caught in her throat. With such delicateness he held her cheek, slowly turning her head to meet his, seeing the tears dripping from her eyes, streaking over her cheekbones and landing upon his other hand on her lap.

_"So maybe I'm a masochist. I try to run but I don't wanna ever leave till the walls are goin' up in smoke with all our memories,"_

"_Larten…_" she breathed with a slight pant. Their faces were centimetres apart, so close that Arra could smell his scent; a musky, forestry smell, rich in earth and flora. She could make out the perfect straightness of his nose, the narrow jaw line and sharp green eyes –which like hers were partially closed as he continued to creep closer, awaiting her lips. How she wanted his lips on hers, those thin pale lips, always seemed to frown now. She could remember a time how he'd smile at her, kissing and cuddling all night in his coffin.

_"It's morning, you wake, a sunray hits your face, Smeared makeup as we lay in the wake of destruction. Hush baby, speak softly, tell me you're awfully sorry that you pushed me into the coffee table last night so I can push you off me."_

Larten stopped, staring at her lips, parted slightly as if she were waiting for them to go further than just a regular peck. His stomach flared, his mind swimming with the beatings. She'd thrown him off the top of the bars, knocking him unconscious as he plunged a good forty feet before smashing into the mat below head first; no one knew how he managed to walk again. Perhaps it hadn't been intentional but they hated each other. It made so much more sense that it had been deliberate.

He felt sick at the pain of pulling the splinters out of his shoulder from when she'd thrown him through the wardrobe, cutting up his back terribly. Moral and decorum kept him from hitting back but then he trashed the room…

_"Try and touch me so I can scream at you not to touch me. Run out the room and I'll follow you like a lost puppy. Baby, without you, I'm nothing, I'm so lost, hug me. Then tell me how ugly I am, but that you'll always love me. Then after that, shove me, in the aftermath of the destructive path that we're on. Two psychopaths but we know that no matter how many knives we put in each other's backs that we'll have each other's backs, 'cause we're that lucky. Together, we move mountains, let's not make mountains out of molehills. You hit me twice, yeah, but who's countin'? I may have hit you three times, I'm startin' to lose count. But together, we'll live forever, we found the youth fountain. Our love is crazy, we're nuts, but I refused counsellin'. This house is too huge, if you move out I'll burn all two thousand square feet of it to the ground, ain't shit you can do about it. With you I'm in my fuckin' mind, without you, I'm out it"_

Arra started to pull away, disappointment in her eyes. She looked at him puzzledly and a little angry that he'd made a full out of her. "I thought you-"

Larten smacked her lips with his, motioning for her to open them as his tongue slipped into her mouth. Arra moaned, wrapping her arms around his neck as he shuffled up closer and snaked a hand around her waist, the other to her back and pressing his chest to hers.

It felt so familiar yet strange; she no longer focussed on their lips whilst they kissed but rather their tongues which were almost fighting against each other for dominance; in everything they seemed to do intimately they were fighting for dominance.

Arra's hand ran down to Larten's thigh, sneaking closer to the burning heat emitted from the crotch of his trouse-

"**_Fucking female drivers_**!" the taxi driver roared furiously, slamming the breaks and causing everyone to be propelled forward, Darren slamming his head into the driver's seat.

"What the_ Hell_ happened?" Gavner gasped.

"A 'female driver' cut out in front," Arra growled, furious with the driver, particularly when it turned out to be a very elderly old man driving with a goofy expression. She and Larten had quickly parted though their lips looked slightly swollen, particularly Arra's where Larten had sucked her lip lustfully.

"Did you both get sting by a bee?" Gavner asked suspiciously. Darren may not be the most experienced where kissing was concerned but Gavner knew fine well the consequences of a long snogging session.

"I'm allergic to mango juice but Tweedle dee forgot that and bought me it anyway," Arra growled angrily, glaring at Larten.

"Then why're his lips swollen?" Gavner frowned.

"Because she punched me," Larten mumbled.

Before Gavner could press him the taxi driver pulled up on the back road. He looked at Gavner to pay the fair and the vampire did so, handing over a one hundred pound bill then getting the change as the others climbed out and stood within the street. Larten couldn't help smile sneakily at Arra who in turn winked.

"Ready to go?" Darren asked, walking towards the bright lights of the strip. Gavner nodded and followed eagerly.

"Aye," Arra called, slapping Larten's bottom before hurrying to catch up with Gavner.

Larten laughed softly, feeling his lips and smiling brightly. Tonight was set to be good, he decided.

**A little bit more L/A for all those who love a little of that pairing (me included :D)**

**I thought I'd have a little of a song fic going on, like kissing as they hear the song (which is the second version of I Love The Way you Lie) on the radio since I made their relationship a little more abusive and very untraditional when compared to a few others on here.**

**Thanks again for all the reviews -70 in total! :O**

**I hadn't expected to get more than twenty, I'm so flattered really! Please keep them coming if you can. Honestly; I feel so proud. Thank you so much!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter eighteen**

Darren had never felt so self-conscious walking through a city before. Human teenagers pointed and laughed at the dishevelled lot, their weird sense of style, worn faces and of course their messy hair. He tried to straighten out his jacket but it was a futile attempt to mask the underline problem; he was wearing clothes he'd worn to sleep for the last few months and showered sparingly.

"We need showers and clothes," Darren muttered.

"Speak for yourself, Shan," Gavner laughed as Arra linked into his arm; she seemed to have found a whole new playful side which –having been asleep- he thought was due to the buzzing city life. "I bathed in the spring at the tree fortress."

"I can tell," Larten chipped in sarcastically.

"There's the grumpy old man I love," Gavner grinned, slapping his hand on Larten's back, "Honestly. The pair of you been on the Prozac or what?"

"I think they were fucking in the back of the taxi," Darren chipped causing everyone to gasp and stare at the half vampire whom they'd perceived to be innocent and clueless. It seemed that Darren's time with Vancha March had completely knocked the childishness out of him.

"I think that was highly inappropriate, Darren," Larten blushed.

"Exactly," Arra agreed, letting go of Gavner and crossing her arms across her chest awkwardly.

Gavner grinned big, "Yeah, Darren. They've both got a little bit more class than that; wait till we check in at the hotel and they'll be at it all night."

"**GAVNER**!" Arra and Larten roared simultaneously, Gavner shooting off down the road whilst Larten legged it after him. Arra shook her head as the boys began wrestling in the street; Larten kicking high as Gavner caught his foot and twisted it, rolling about on the damp road.

Darren laughed a little, glad the two were back to mucking around like young men. "_I'm hungry_," he admitted, as he and Arra followed the tumbling vampires past several kebab and pizza stores, "_We haven't really had anything decent for a while…"_ he mumbled, trying to subtly hint that he wanted something fattening, greasy but most importantly: tasty.

Arra laughed though she had to agree that a burger sounded good. "Come on then; since we're all in high spirits, go get us something to eat. I'll wait out here for you," she smiled, snorting when the men began jogging back to her, sweaty from fighting. When offered more food, Gavner applauded though Larten seemed less keen, eyeing the hairy cook dicing up donnar meat.

"You're the man," Gavner grinned when Darren re-joined them with a carrier bag of food, "I feel like heading to the Hotel right now. Am I the only one?"

"No," Arra smiled, "I'd like to relax and watch some human television and have an early night. We were foolish if we thought we could come here and find the sword straight away. A lazy evening with a few glasses of wine may just be what the witch doctor ordered,"

Gavner grinned, "Fancy a few beers, Larten?"

"Aye," Larten said, "a few beers will do no one any harm. We can also have a good drink of blood. I am tired of the bottled blood Vancha had us drink. I swear it was days off."

They headed towards the hotel Darren had booked for them by using a pay phone at the train station. Gavner raided an off license for the beverages for that night before they came face to face with the hotel they'd booked. They stared at the building in awe; it was huge, with several large glass windows overlooking the river which snaked its way through the city. Greeted by a doorman, the group entered and presented themselves to the receptionist before collecting their keys. The hotel manager gave them the strangest looks as they scurried up the stairs to their room on floor 32.

Gavner couldn't believe the room they were going to spend the next short while in; minimalistic and very white with glass tables and stylish kitchen counters. The white leather sofas faced a large wide screen television which had been mounted above a ceramic white fire place.

Arra looked around in complete shock, so used to rustic, basic human accommodation. "Wow, Darren, this is…._wow_," She went to check out the bathroom which was every bit as modern as the living area. The bedrooms, too, consisted of a king-sized bed and a large space for clothes.

"**Shotgun**!" Gavner yelled from the largest room.

"Gavner! You can't shotgun a bedroom," Darren groaned, "It just doesn't work like that."

"Why not?" Gavner frowned.

"It just doesn't," Darren sighed, slapping his forehead.

"Aye, Gavner, that's my room," Arra winked, "You get the one furthest away and Darren and Larten share in the bedroom beside mine."

Gavner's face screwed up, "I get the feeling you guys are trying to avoid me."

"Aye," Larten smirked, opening Gavner's carrier bag and gasping at the high level of alcohol.

"For you, Arra and me to get a little tipsy we need a lot of alcohol," Gavner winked, pulling a bottle of Vodka and lounging out on the sofa. He leaned forward and pulled out a kebab and chips from in Darren's bag.

Arra laughed at Larten's expression, claiming a bottle of rosé and sitting beside Gavner with a burger and chips, switching on the television. Football/soccer began to play, Darren's attention instantly being grasped as he accepted a beer and munched away on a pizza. He looked across at Mr Crepsley briefly as he sulkily took the second bottle of Vodka and sat beside Darren. It made the half vampire laugh when he saw Larten's disgusted expression at the chips and cheese Darren had bought him on a whim. Pickily he peeled the cheese from the chips and nibbled at them with a screwed up face.

Rolling his eyes, Darren knew that Larten wasn't going to get tipsy tonight, nor was he going to eat his dinner.

_**A few hours later and a good amount of alcohol…**_

"No! Foul ball! Foul ball! It was offside!" Larten yelled at the top of his voice, pointing and cursing at the television. His cheeks were flushed red and his orange hair was sweaty and damp as he and Gavner swayed on their feet, jumping up and down with excitement at the television.

"Come on Ref! Blind bastard!" Gavner added furiously as the players kicked the ball and continued to play.

"Fuckin'-Fuckin' **SEBO**!" Larten roared then began chanting, "**Sebo! Sebo! Sebo!**"

Arra rolled her eyes and laughed at the men before turning to Darren who looked so astonished at their behavior that he hadn't even finished half of his pizza. "You think this is bad? They were kitted out for the rugby once and I swear I had never seen anything like it. I guess it's just something guys do. I mean, I was never really into supporting my city in sport but when I moved in with Larten I had to nag and nag and nag him to get rid of the football shite from his walls and shelves."

"_Seriously_?" Darren gasped. He'd never known his mentor to like sports –in fact he hadn't known his mentor to like anything!- but it was refreshing. It reminded him of family BBQs as a human when his uncles and father would drink one too many and get rallied in a football match. He felt like he and his mentor had something incommon now that wasn't vampire related.

"Larten and Gavner aren't even from Glasgow but it's a different system in football there. It's kind of like the Vampaneze and the Vampires. There's two sides in Glasgow that think they are better than the other and they fight each other constantly," Arra explained whilst Larten and Gavner suddenly broke out into song;

"Follow follow, we will follow**_ Rangers_**. _Everywhere, anywhere, we will follow on_! Follow, follow we will follow Rangers. If they go to Dublin we will follow on. **For there's not a team like the Glasgow Rangers!** No not one, and there never shall be one. Celtic know all about their troubles. **We will fight till the day is done.** For _**there's not a team like the Glasgow Rangers, No not one, and there never shall be one**_!" Larten and Gavner roared loudly, twirling each other as they held their beer high in the air.

Darren couldn't believe them; he'd never placed Larten or Gavner as Ranger supporters but then again he hadn't thought of the Vampire and Vampaneze War like an old Firm football match; Vampires Versus Vampaneze, Rangers Versus Celtic. He wasn't Scottish but he knew the background of the team like any devoted football lover.

The Celtics were the Catholic and Rangers were the Protestants. The Irish had come across to Glasgow during the potato famine and as a result there had been a huge dispute that the Irish had invaded Glasgow and stolen the entire territory. When the Scots established Rangers football team the Irish created Celtic and since the 1880's the two teams had played viciously against each other. Then again there was also something to do with King William in 1690 but for the life of him he couldn't remember. He didn't care either, especially as the game came to a close and both Gavner and Larten belted their lungs out, swaying in time with the crowd and continuing to sing Follow Follow.

A good few moments later Arra yawned loudly as the game turned into a studio set with large men discussing the highlights of the game. Larten sunk down beside her with a hand draped over her shoulder whilst Gavner drunkenly stumbled to the bathroom.

"I think I'm going to go to bed," Darren yawned. Through the window he could see that the sun was slowly creeping its way up; It must have been nine in the morning.

"Me too," Gavner groaned, falling through the bathroom door, "I don't think I'm going to be very well tonight," he staggered down the hall, slamming his door shut.

Darren rolled his eyes at that, looked briefly at his mentor then looked away sharply with a blush; Larten and Arra were getting a little cozy in their tipsy state and he knew Mr Crepsley would go bashful if he were to make a scene. Quietly, he bid goodnight and marched straight to the room he was supposed to share with his mentor though he got the feeling, peeking through a crack in the door as the two spoke softly. To Darren's surprise, however, Larten didn't stay long. He went to get a glass of water then went to the bathroom. Not wanting to be caught spying, Darren hurried to undress then climb into bed as Larten collapsed upon his own bed.

Arra mindlessly flicked through the channels for a moment a small smile on her lips as she thought about the back of the taxi once more. It was so unlike them to be so…so…impulsive? It had felt long overdue whatever it had been.

Not a night went by that she wished she hadn't kissed that vampire in the hall. The regret gnawed at her stomach all the time. She had been so young and stupid with no responsibilities bar that that the life of a Generals required of her. He hadn't even that! However, when Larten walked into Vampire Mountain all those years ago with Darren to his side, he knew that he'd changed. Arra knew she, too, had changed. Fifty years without him only brought to light how much his love and warmth had been worth to her.

Smiling and cuddling her pillow in an almost smitten way, an immovable smile on her lips, she continued to flick through what appeared to be the music channels, hoping to hear the song that had brought she and Larten together in the taxi. She sighed when she couldn't find it, pressing a few buttons on the remote to try and switch songs –clearly not understanding that to change songs on music channels she had to text in and hope for the best. In defeat, she tuned back into the television and listened to some band called Muse for apparently they were touring and it was some big deal on this channel.

An interesting song, she thought, picking away at a few of the lyrics. It wasn't really what she wanted to listen to, particularly since she had missed the beginning of the song.

"…The night has reached its end. We can't pretend. We must run. We must run. It's time to run. Take us away from here. Protect us from further harm. _**Resistance**_!"

Arra sprayed out her juice and stared at the screen in complete amazement.

"Another fantastic song by the kings of Indie," a narrator said on screen, "and of course, Muse are playing live in ****** tomorrow night at seven pm at the Auditorium."

Arra shook her head. That couldn't be the sign, could it? Deciding she was probably jumping to conclusions, she flicked to the next channel and frowned. Instantly, she recognized the singer from the previous channel.

"And that was _**Uprising**_ by Muse who are playing live in ****** tomorrow night at seven pm at the Auditorium,"

Arra kept shaking her head; the sword couldn't be in the Auditorium, could it? It was illogical! Why would it be there? Who put it there? What was so important here? Deciding to test faith one more time, she flipped forward a good seven channels to what was a classical musical channel; she had been enjoying a little bit of Mozart on this very station earlier.

"Up next we have a song by the touring Muse, who are playing live in ****** tomorrow night at seven pm at the Auditorium. We would like to _**dedicate this song to four special people out in ****** at this very moment**_. Good luck to those four and, as promised, here is **_Guiding Light_** by Muse. Do enjoy,"

Arra's blood ran cold as she stared at the screen in terror, "L-Larten?"

"….Aye, Arra?" a muffled voice called from the closed bedroom which hosted Larten and Darren.

"I know where the sword is," Arra croaked back, "and it's in a _rock concert_."

**Oh yeah ;) little bit of Muse -both Resistance and Uprising being two of the three songs that actually inspired me to right this (reading with music on; go figure!). Anyways, I thought it wold be a fun environment to try and locate this weapon which is supposed to end the suffering of the vampires and defeat the Vampeneze. **

**Again, I bleeped Larten's hometown out in case that confused anyone. (:**

**Also, if you hadn't guessed, I am a Glasgow Rangers fan xDD Many drunken stories at the Old Firm Games -Rangers Vs Celtic. Thought maybe mentioning something like that in this chapter might be a nice little piece but then again, I support Rangers :L**

**Thanks again for the Reviews! :D :D :D :D**

**Preston (:**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

Darren grinned as he raced through the streets of Larten's old city. He felt so free, walking into every and any clothes store he could under strict instructions: find appropriate for a human rock concert.

Equipped with a list of everyone's sizes, he eagerly went about selecting nice clothes for he and his vampire companions. Stood in a women's clothes store he rummaged around for jeans, knowing Arra probably wouldn't appreciate a mini skirt and strappy top. He pulled a pair of pretty tight jeans off of the rail and studied them. They were a size ten, the size Arra had requested, a dark blue and skin tight to fit. He wasn't too sure wither they were Arra-ish and was about to put them back when two blonde women walked in, busts hanging out of tight tops and wearing those exact jeans. Drooling slightly, Darren grinned, "Sold!"

Buying for Larten had been a mission and a half. He knew fine well that his Mentor loved loose fitting clothes with several pockets but, from past experiences, those were the sort of clothes that bouncers looked out for; Mr Crepsley wouldn't be able to smuggle weapons in. He grinned as he looked into the Topman bag; a red T shirt –he was gracious-, loose-ish blue jeans and a brand new pair of trainers. He bought them all hooded jumpers too, and hats; knowing if they needed to make a quick escape it would be appreciated to have their identities hidden.

Before heading back to the hotel, Darren picked up a few coffees and muffins which he hoped would please the hung-over vampires; when he'd left at noon Darren had heard Gavner retching up something foul in the bathroom.

Larten was wondering around in a pair of slightly ripped boxers, a vacant zombie like expression on his face as he mixed his cup of tea with the salt shaker instead of the sugar and added water instead of milk. He walked over to the sofa where Gavner lay, bucket in hand and equally as undressed as Larten.

"Mr Crepsley, I wouldn't drink that. I got you a coffee instead," Darren frowned, dropping his shopping and running over to remove the salty tea from his possession. He handed him his coffee and a muffin and did the same for Gavner though the brunette seemed in no position to eat anything as he retched once more. Arra was in the shower at that moment so Darren set her new clothes in her room before joining his mentor by the TV. "Ready for tonight?" he asked, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. As a human the only concerts he had ever been to were family friendly and pretty mellow; an AC/DC cover band and a Frank Sinatra impersonator when he and his family went to Las Vegas.

"I guess," Larten grumbled, picking away at his muffin as though it were laced in cyanide.

"Have you ever been to a concert before, Mr Crepsley?" Darren asked curiously.

"Aye," Larten continued to mumble, "I went to see Lebedinoye ozero once," he rolled his bleary red eyes at Darren's puzzled expression, "_Swan Lake_, Darren. I went to see Swan Lake in 1885 with Seba and a close friend. I have also seen the Beatles live up North in Newcastle as well as Four Tops, Eddie Fisher, Don Mclean, Rod Stewart, and through the eighties I was never away from the underground so I saw bands such as the Sex Pistols, The Damned, etc." He raised an eyebrow at Darren's shocked expression, "Am I not allowed indulging in the music from the country I grew up in whenever I am away from the Mountain?"

"I guess so I just never thought you liked things like the Sex Pistols," Darren scrunched his face up, "don't they just shout abuse at everyone?"

"No," Larten grumbled, "They are inspiring. However, I think my all-time favorite musical experience were the Beatles. I am a rather large fan. Many were the nights Arra and I would laze around a hotel listening to my records and singing along." His grumble seemed to become a little softer as he spoke of his past with Arra.

"My dad loved the Beatles," Darren smiled, "What was your favorite song?"

"Let It Be? I do not know. I think it is probably Yesterday," Larten nodded, "I played that a lot when I broke up with Arra."

"Oh. I liked Yellow Submarine," Darren frowned which made Larten laugh.

"That does not surprise me, Darren," he laughed, ruffling his assistant's hair.

Arra came out of the shower, a towel wrapped around her middle and a second towel wrapped around her hair. "Bathroom's free, Larten," she called.

"Thank you," Larten nodded, hopping over the sofa and making his way towards the steaming bathroom.

"Look at you, size eleven feet," she teased which made him blush violently, cupping his underwear at the front and locking the bathroom door. Arra frowned when she saw the state of Gavner. "Are you able to keep anything down, Ga-"

Gavner rolled over on the sofa, spewing up the half of the muffin he'd eaten into the bucket. "I'm fucked," he groaned, cursing as Arra roared with laughter.

_**A few hours and an unhealthy amount of pain killers later…**_

Gavner studied himself in the mirror and sighed happily, the painkillers having worked their magic wonderfully. He ruffled his brown hair with the clay Darren had provided before playing around with his outfit; stonewash jeans and a checkered white and black shirt. He wasn't keen on it if he was honest but Darren was very excited to hand he and Larten clothes he'd picked for them.

Strapping his knives on a belt around his chest, Gavner went out to find Darren sat on the sofa watching the music channels and trying to get in the mood for tonight. In the boys excitement he seemed to forget that this was in fact a mission to locate a precious sword and not to enjoy music.

"Did you straighten your hair?" Gavner chuckled slightly.

"Obviously," Darren laughed.

"Darren? What waist size did you purchase for me?" Larten called from his bedroom.

"Arra said you were a 26''," Darren called, "What's the matter?"

"Darren I am a _30''_ and you know that. I was a 26'' when Arra and I _were a couple_," Larten grumbled, "I cannot button the jeans without cutting off circulation to my thighs."

"Lets see," Gavner laughed loudly, "Come on!" he turned the door handle, his laughter only growing when Larten yelled at him to stay away. He kicked the door open to reveal a very bashful Larten stood before them with his trousers on but the new white boxer shorts very bunched up at the front. "Size eleven shoes not letting you close your trousers?"

"Yes, if you must know," Larten growled with complete embarrassment, "Darren _must_ you be in here?"

"Yeah," Darren chuckled, "I think it's funny."

"Come on," Gavner laughed, "You slip your cock in there and I'll pull your trousers up,"

"No," Larten gasped, "Gavner _do not dare_! **Do not touch me**," He tried to swat his friend away, but couldn't push the bigger vampire off as he pressed him against the wall, "Gavner! Stop!** Arra, help! _Rape! Rape_**!" Gavner laughed loudly, tucking Larten in then yanking his trousers up. He continued to laugh at his friend as Larten thrashed against him whilst he buttoned him up.

"Oh-Oh, Gods, Gavner be **careful**!" Larten groaned, wincing at the tight pain digging into his waist, butt and groin, "**Fucking-_Ow_**!"

Gavner stepped back, and clapped his hands, "See. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Was not so bad?" Larten yelled, losing his normal seriousness and guarded language as he screamed out in outrage, "You took my cock and balls and shoved them into my trousers! I could go to the human authorities and have you arrested for such behavior, you-you-you!"

Gavner laughed once more, "If Arra had done it you'd never have managed to get your bits in your trousers."

"_**Gavner**_!" Larten roared, lunging for him then chasing him through the hotel. Darren couldn't help but grin; Mr Crepsley couldn't run properly with his trousers so tight.

Arra rolled her eyes when she saw the guys wrestling again. "We've a sword to find and you two are mucking about like _children_!"

Both men stopped and turned to stare at Arra, gawking at how perfectly her jeans and top highlighted her every curve. Larten blushed somewhat and Gavner looked away and coughed awkwardly, "Sorry, Arra," they both muttered.

"Good. Now, let us go." Arra stated, pulling on her boots as the guys pulled on bright white trainers –Darren helping Larten for he was unable to bend to do so himself.

_**After leaving the Hotel...**_

The walk to the Auditorium had Larten on edge. He looked uncomfortable, his eyes dimming every so often as though tormented by some distant memory that he just couldn't escape. He jumped at everything and anything, flinching at the slightest sound. After watching her ex mate's nervous jittering, Arra hooked into his arm which seemed to instantly have a relaxing effect upon him though still his eyes held some sort of distress.

As Gavner and Darren hurried ahead, Larten leaned in to Arra, "My old house is just round the corner…where the address of the Auditorium is,"

"Oh, I am so sorry," Arra sighed, stroking his forearm, "Are you okay?"

"Yes. It is just…amusing to think that the house I was born in no longer stands but in its place is a loud concert hall where idiot humans play blasphemous songs of hate." Larten spat as they rounded the corner and were presented with a large nightclub where posters of artists and future events were plastered over the brick walls. There was a very loud bashing noise beating out of the thin windows which suggested that the concert had already started. Not that it mattered.

The group did as planned, pulled their hoods up and approached the main door, stopped by three men who asked for tickets. As planned, the group rummaged through their pockets before Arra, Larten and Gavner exhaled knock out fumes over their faces, the bouncers dropping to the floor like flies. Quickly, they hid the bodies in a storage cupboard before making their way towards the concert. Heat instantly hit them as well as the loud banging of drums and the thumping of feet stomping the wooden floor.

"Split up?" Larten roared over the sound of the pulsing music, wincing at ever drum beat.

"Aye!" Gavner yelled back, pulling his hood down and disappearing into the crowd. Arra stayed back with Darren, deciding to better explore together as Larten set off to explore the bar.

Darren focused on the task at hand, ignoring the beats as he began knocking on walls to see if they were hallow whilst Arra looked under chairs and tables by his side. Larten tried asking the bar tenders if they had seen or heard of this particular building. They said they'd know idea what he was talking about. Disgruntled, Larten continued to study each fixture for any form of clue.

"This is hopeless!" Larten groaned, his head pulsing painfully.

"Aw'right?" someone called behind him. When he turned he saw three young women running their eyes up and down his body, knowing when their eyes widened it was because of the very painful bulge in his stupid tight trousers –he vowed to have Darren subjected to such pain as a revenge. He studied the women himself; all caked in orange makeup and a very very dark fake tan which only highlighted their bleach blonde hair and horrifically whitened teeth. Not that Larten was looking but he could swear that underneath their revealing shirts they had each had some form of plastic surgery to enlarge their breasts so that they resembled lifejackets.

"Yes I am quite alright," Larten stated, unsure where he was supposed to look as the three approached him.

"You not dancing?" one asked whilst she chewed chewing gum.

"No," Larten said but knew full well what was coming as the girls dragged him to the dance floor, amidst the crowd. He felt so out of place surrounded by a sea of jumping humans. He tried to escape the three girls but succeeded in only in having the girls press up against him, grinding his front and sides as he stood, unsure what to do with his hands as he felt one of the girls, the prettiest whom had the smaller breasts and the least tan, rub her plump bottom against his crotch, "Oh Gods," Larten moaned softly, suddenly feeling like a lioness in heat. It had been over nearly three decades since he had last experienced such closeness with a woman that he struggled to not buck his hips in approval. Gavner, Darren and Arra would last without him for a dance or two, he decided as he felt the blondes at his sides sucking on his neck.

"You like that?" the blonde at the front asked with a cute giggle, turning to face him and wrapping her arms tight around his neck.

"I do not know you," Larten struggled to spit out, firmly holding her hips and not daring to look anywhere but the spot between her eyes.

"That's what makes this fun," the blonde grinned, leaning in closer to him and nuzzling his neck.

"M-Ma'am, please," Larten stammered, "This is improper conduct for a lady. I do not even know your name!"

"My name's Chelsea," Chelsea whispered against his ear, "Want a no-strings attached fuck? This concert sucks balls."

"I-um-I," Larten's blush could have lit up the New York skyline, "Yes-No-um-Maybe-Look, I think this is a mistake. No." he let go of her hips and stood stone still, hoping she would tire of his passiveness. Soon, she did, leaving Larten for a younger man with bright ginger hair. Frowning, Larten attempted to push out of the crowd before he encountered the greatest rule of a Rock Concert…a whirlpool Mosh pit.

Larten felt a fist smash the side of his head, throwing him forward in shock, knocking into someone who retaliated by shoving him back towards his original attacker. Stumbling around, several over boys smacked into him as he was thrown about in circles, unable to stop the momentum. Finally, the Mosh pit stopped and the beaten Vampire found himself linking shoulders with his sweaty mosh-pit companions who started belting out in time with the singer;

_"They will not force us. And they will stop degrading us. And they will not control us. We will be victorious! Interchanging mind control, come let the revolution take its toll, if you could flick a switch and open your third eye, you'd see that we should never be afraid to die, so come on! Rise up and take the power back, it's time that the fat cats had a heart attack, you know that their time is coming to an end, we have to unify and watch our flag ascend!"_

Soon Larten found himself singing along, his hatred for his people's situation apparent as he belted out at the top of his longs, "_**They will not force us. And they will stop degrading us. And they will not control us. We will be victorious!**_"

Arra wasn't sucked in to the concert at all, channeling her entire focus on locating the sword. She was slowly starting to lose the will to live; the noise was infuriating and, from the corner of her eye, she could see Darren had given up on searching for the sword in aid of flirting with a bunch of girls who looked of a similar age –despite the fact Darren was well into his late twenties, early thirties. She rolled her eyes and set off to walk when a hand tapped her shoulder lightly. Turning round, she noticed a sweating Larten with a boyish smile.

"Want to dance?" he shouted over the cheering crowd. Arra couldn't help but smile when she recognized the tune that began playing; Can't Take My Eyes Off You. She looked at his extended hand and sighed, shaking her head and joining him as he pulled her amidst the crowd. Wincing slightly, she felt him wrap his arms around her waist from behind her, his head on her shoulder and lips to her ear.

Swaying her gently, Larten sang along in her ear, feeling her shiver slightly, "_Pardon the way that I stare. There's nothing else to compare. The sight of you leaves me weak. There are no words left to speak, but if you feel like I feel, please let me know that it's real. You're just too good to be true. Can't take my eyes off you._"

Arra smiled and laid back against him, her hands holding his, which were rested on her belly. She felt so relaxed, so calm, so-

Arra gasped as guitar and drums suddenly began blaring from the amps and the crowd, including Larten, began bouncing on the spot, roaring in time to the beat, "_**Da-da, da-da, da-da-da-da**_!" She dug her nails into his hands sharply, eyes wide in shock at how claustrophobic the pit had become. Deciding to close her eyes, she breathed deep breaths and hoped for the best.

Gavner took to the rafters, carefully sneaking along the rooftop railings as he inspected every corner of the ceiling, balancing dangerously on the railings and peeling back the panel ceilings but found nothing. Sighing, he was beginning to think Arra had been wrong. What was so important about this place? What did this place mean to the vampires? What did this place mean to the King?

Grumbling as he spied Darren and a pretty red-head kissing and Arra and Larten dancing, he felt a little jealous that they were getting to have fun whilst he stood on a dusty, rickety metal walkway watching them. As he began to make his way down he noticed something peculiar on the furthest away wall. It was a stone panel with letters and words, embedded into crumbling bricks. Groaning for not being literate, Gavner leant in close, head inches from the stone to try to pick out words he recognized, sounding them out, "La-lar-l-lar-teen? Lah-rr-tin. Larten!" he grinned proudly then continued, "V-v-vuur? Voor? Vur!" he nearly clapped he was that proud of himself.

Realisation hit Gavner when he remembered he and Larten's drunken conversations when both boys had been emotionally staggering through the tunnels of Vampire Mountain. He'd sobbed about Liz whilst Larten wept about his cousin. Thought Larten seemed to very much forget the conversation come morning, Gavner hadn't. This shouldn't be here. Why was it here?

The Auditorium had been constructed from local bricks so…Gavner stared at the rock in wonder, shunting his nails into the crumbly rock and wincing at his discovery: it was hollow behind.

**Sorry for the late update but thanks for all the comments -over 80! :O :O**

**I wasn't sure about throwing in the trousers scene or not but I though 'what the hell? :)' and did it anyway. That actually happened between two of my bestfriends -who are guys- and I swear i haven't laughed so hard in my life, especially when the one who was violated started cursing and swearing like a sailor. Beautiful moment :L**

**Also, thought I could add a little more L/A in there, in a mosh pit of all places -wonders happen in good old whirlpools ;)**

**Finally, as always, thank you so so so so so so much for the reviews! 8D**

**Preston (:**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

Arra was beginning to enjoy herself as her and Larten moved to the side of the crowd where it was less noise and the two could better understand each other. She wrapped her arms around Larten's neck, reviling in the closeness of their hips and lower torsos. Instantly, she knew Larten was in 'the mood' as his lips hovered above the skin of her throat, nuzzling with his nose as his hands slipped further and further down her back, taking it slow, waiting for her to flinch to know he was pushing his luck too far. She didn't blame him to be frisky either; seventeen years trapped in such awful conditions with no privacy and Gods only know how many months or years he'd gone before that without any female contact.

Daringly, Larten lightly brushed his lips against her skin, slowly pressing them into the junction between her neck and jaw.

"_Mmm_," Arra purred in approval as he continued to kiss her throat and shoulders, leaving a slight bruise on her neck from sucking her porcelain flesh. She ran her hands through his short orange hair, gripping tightly as his lips began to stray down to her cleavage where he continued to kiss her smooth, sweet smelling skin. Arra's head dropped back to give him better access, a frown growing on her lips as she spied a brown haired man pulling crumbly bricks from the wall in the rafters, "Gavner?" she said.

"_Gavner_?" Larten frowned, snapping to his senses and almost glaring at her. He followed her eye line and realization dawned, "Oh, Gavner! What on earth is he doing up there?"

"Only one way to find out," Arra nodded, peeling out of Larten's arms and searching for Darren who was very much enjoying the company of a pretty red head, his hands resting on her hips whilst the two kissed lustfully. "Darren?" Darren froze and looked over the girl's shoulder, spying a bashful Larten and an amused Arra. "Gav needs us."

Darren blushed and nodded, bidding goodbye to the girl who slipped him a piece of paper with a number on it. Grinning proudly, he followed Arra and Larten.

_**On the railings...**_

Gavner had removed four bricks when he felt his friends approach, looking over his shoulder with a slight smirk, "So whilst you three tried to get your legs over I found this," he picked up the brick that had Larten's name carved into it and handed it to the blushing vampire. "I pulled out a few more bricks too; it's like a small hollow cave in there."

Larten studied the rock and sighed, "This was definitely from my house. My father used to lay flowers for Vur and I by the stone to commemorate our 'deaths'," he mumbled then looked at the darkened hollow in confusion, unsure why that one relic from his home had been kept, especially since it was what guarded a hole in the wall like that.

"Who's Vur?" Darren asked but was silenced by Arra who glared at him to be quiet whilst she and Larten approached to inspect the gap suspiciously, straining into the dark.

When Arra attempted to slip her hand in, Gavner stopped her, "Remember what Tiny said? If what I hope we've found is in there then touching the handle will cause you sever pain. Try and grab it by the scabbard."

"What if it is not wearing a scabbard?" Larten interjected.

"Then be prepared for some very bad cuts." Gavner stated, "Think about it logically; that sword's meant to define the King from the commoners so it's going to have some kick in it."

Arra nodded and slowly crept her hand inside the darkened hollow, nervously inching her fingers forward till they brushed against something very smooth but cold, "There's something in here for sure," she whispered, "It feels smooth but it feels like a covering. It's cold anyway, maybe steel?" she followed the objects length backwards and stopping instantly when she felt colder metal, "Yes. It's the sword and it's in a scabbard. This is the scabbard's locket."

"Keep away from that side then," Larten nearly shouted; the locket being the part of the scabbard which covers the rain guard of a sword. Arra nodded and brushed her fingers forwards, amazed at how smooth the scabbard was. She indicated for Larten and Gavner to pluck more of the bricks from the wall. Its length seemed immense, so long that Darren struggled to think of any sword that he'd seen in the games hall.

"It has to be some sort of a medieval sword," Gavner commented as Arra declared she had reached the scabbard's cape and thus was at the end of the sword.

"I am going to try to pull it out," Arra stated as she slowly pulled the cape outwards and slowly, afraid of making contact with the rain guard again, proceeded to peel the sword from its captivity.

"Oh! Larten look! It's a Claymore!" Gavner said excitedly when he spied the weapon's large silver cross guard and long black leather grip. The pommel of the sword was truly spectacular, none of the vampires had ever seen such finely manipulated metal; the pommel of the sword was in the shape of a roaring tiger, bronze and gold melted together to create the red-orange fir whilst dark lead gave the illusion of dark heavy stripes, silver for elongated fangs and two bright emeralds for the eyes.

Instinctively, Darren went to touch the tiger but his wrist was caught by Larten's grasp, "Do not be so stupid, boy," he snarled, "You could seriously hurt yourself or-"

"Stop treating me like a child," Darren snapped back, "It was just an impulse; I wouldn't intentionally touch a handle that'd probably fry my brain!"

"Why are you getting ratty with me, Master Shan?" Larten frowned.

"Stop calling me that!" Darren growled, "I'm sick of it. I'm sick of being your 'child' your 'son' your flaming 'cub'! For now on call me Darren or Mr Shan. I'm not a kid anymore." The three vampires looked taken back by Darren's sudden outburst, not sure what to say. Sighing, Darren shook his head, "Let's just get out of here. If you wrap the handle in a hoodie then we could-"

"What are you doing on the railing?" a heavy set guard roared angrily from the stairs, standing and blocking the exit for the vampires as they stared at the guard and back upped carefully.

"Can you flit yet, Larten?" Arra hissed.

"No. You three go and I will stay and face the consequences. I should not say I will be in too much trouble-"

Darren interrupted Larten, "Are you an idiot? You just pulled something out of a wall that you also destroyed. They'll investigate for drugs and you will definitely get charged for vandalism and probably trespassing too."

"_**JUMP**_!" Gavner commanded, grasping the sword and throwing himself over the rail, smashing the drum kit to pieces as Larten landed perfectly on the bass amplifier, Darren landed on a body guard and Arra tumbled across the stage, knocking Matthew Bellamy over.

There was a horrific crack as the lead singer's head smashed down against the wooden floor, blood trickling from a nasty gash as the dazed singer looked up to find a female carrying a child and a man holding a giant stick and another man on his back running out of the door, followed by angry guards who shortly ran back inside screaming, _**"They got away!"**_

**Well this was an effort to write. I'd done half of it last night but when my laptop died it didn't auto save so I had to start all over again; hence it's shortness :L**

**Anyways, so they have the sword at last :D Next stop; resistance for the King and then to find a tiger for the battle!**

**thank you all so much for the reviews; if it wasn't for them I'd have skipped this chapter out all together and gone out drinking in a sulk that my laptop deleted it :(**

**Thank you! :D**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

Arra had never been more thankful to be in a train than she was at that particular moment, sat in a cabin opposite Gavner who was still breathing like a laboured horse from carrying both Larten and the sword at a fast pace. Darren and Larten sat opposite each other but were yet to acknowledge one another; emotions still high after Darren yelled at his mentor in the rafting.

A hostess opened their cabin and smiled, offering them drinks and snacks which Gavner happily accepted, gulping down his bottle of water before doing the same to Larten's.

"Would you like a milky way….**_MR_** Shan?" Larten asked, offering his assistant one of the chocolate bars he had purchased a packet of.

"You don't get it, do you?" Darren snarled before storming out of the cabin.

"Oh well done," Arra sneered, "Go piss him off further. Good old Larten."

"He is just being unruly," Larten growled, "He is behaving like a _**child**_!"

Gavner laughed, "Larten, he's not a child. Have you looked at Darren at all lately? His voice is deepening, he's got a little bit of patchy stubble on his chin now and you saw him with his tongue down that girl's throat at the concert. He's a teenager now," Gavner grinned, "He's becoming _a man_ and he's looking for someone to tell him the facts of life."

"The facts of life?" Larten frowned, "What do you mean?"

"The good old _birds and the bees_," Gavner winked, "You're going to have to tell the poor kid all about it because he sure as hell wont hear it from any of the stuffy buggers in the Mountain."

Larten groaned as he recalled his own embarrassing and very awkward experience with the 'birds and the bees', remembering how visual Seba had gotten by showing him a dead wasp –it wasn't bee season apparently- and a dead blue tit. Needless to say that was one of the many memories Larten had supressed over the years.

"Can Arra not do it?" Larten asked, looking at the only female there who merely laughed.

"Larten this is a guy thing," she smiled, "You and Gavner would know better than anyone the changes boys go through to become men. Just go tell him. It's natural. Throw him my way if you are too afraid to discuss what human female go through but the rest you should tell him. It's important."

Sighing, Larten nodded, standing and sorting the tracksuit bottoms Gavner had stopped to buy his friend whilst they were fleeing –his jeans had ripped whilst he sat on Gavner's back. He zipped up his hooded top and made the deaths touch sign before walking out of the cabin.

Darren had no idea why he'd snapped at his mentor on the railing as he stared out of the open carriage window, watching the stars as the train zoomed past. He felt terrible for it, Mr Crepsley hadn't dissevered it at all. It was stress and the constant mood swings he'd developed which were causing him to shout abuse at the people he loved more than anything in the world. Making up his mind to apologize, Darren gasped when he realized that Larten was stood beside him, staring out of the window at the starlit sky also.

"Mood swings are a nightmare, are they not?" Larten asked with a slight smile which made Darren blush; he often wondered if full vampires could read minds but no one had told him so they could all eavesdrop into his personal thoughts.

"Yeah," Darren mumbled with a shy smile, "Sorry about earlier, Mr Crepsley. I never meant to be as nasty as I was to you."

"It is quite alright, Darren. I understand. You are at an age where your body is producing more testosterone than you can physically deal with, thus, you lash out and are a little more prone to anger. It is not your fault either; I was your way once and so was Gavner." Larten nodded, surprised by how calmly he was as he spoke of such personal things without even the slightest hue on his cheeks. Darren looked a little puzzled by the term 'testosterone' which Larten went on to further explain, "Testosterone is the male sex hormone," that caused a slight blush on both parties behalves, "It is what causes your body to change. Usually it can be seen in human boys at around thirteen? I am not so sure but regardless, as a vampire your body will be much slower to make such changes."

"So, this hormone's what makes my voice deeper like yours?" Darren frowned.

"Afraid so," Larten laughed, "Did you honestly think I was born in this world with a voice such as this? Believe me I would have had far more success with women if I was born with high levels of testosterone."

"Why?" Darren frowned once more.

"Women find sexually mature men far more attractive. It is something to do with innate natural selection, I do not know. Ask Arra, she will know," Larten smiled cruelly, imagining Arra trying to do so. Knowing her she would pawn Darren on to Gavner for a very Disney perfect version of female attraction.

"I saw you kissing that girl in the concert," Larten grinned, "She was a pretty little thing."

Darren nodded, "Yeah. I caught her before she fell and we danced for a bit and then, yeah," he smiled softly, "Debbie was my first kiss but I think that was my first adult kiss, you know?"

"That is a rite of Passage to Manhood. Like I said, she was pretty too," Larten said, watching as the train neared the first stop in the many before they reached the resistance.

"When do you know that you're in a relationship with someone you love?" Darren asked, "Like, proper want to spend the rest of your life with them?"

Larten shrugged and shook his head, "Love is a dangerous game to play Darren," he sighed, "If I were you I would focus on having fun for a few years when you leave my side. That is what I did and I highly recommend it. You establish independence and you get to carve a name for yourself. You could become Darren Shan the Butcher, Barrister Darren Shan, Darren the horse whisperer!" he pointed out of the window, "There is a sea of opportunity for vampires in both our world and the world of humans. If you want to become a vampire Prince I will help you train and will be the first in the audience to applaud your coronation. If your heart tells you to leave the mountain, find a girl and settle down with a few adopted children I will expect an invite to all the human cultures you choose to partake in annually,"

Darren laughed at that, "So you wont be disappointed in me if I don't become a General?"

"Of course I will not. I want you to be happy." Larten smiled, "When I was a young vampire I felt pressured into making Seba proud. I do not want that for you,"

"Thanks Mr Crepsley," Darren smiled, "Sorry for being a little dick to you guys."

"It is water under a bridge now," Larten laughed then yawned loudly, "Come on. The sun is almost up and I want to sleep."

"Sure," Darren smiled, as the two headed back to the cabin before dawn set in.

**A few days later in the mountain...**

Kurda charged through the halls of Vampire Mountain, a sea of guards following his every step; Lord Kurda was an important member of the Vampaneze clan and thus was monitored twenty-four/seven.

The large heavy doors of the Hall of Lords slammed open, Kurda storming to the platform and marching to his throne furiously, nodding at the True Lord of the Vampaneze and Lord Glalda. "Where is Judith?" he roared, Glalda pointing at a purple female stood at the front of the platform.

Kurda eyed her up suspiciously. She was a member of the Thought Police, heavily armoured with a rapier strapped at her side as she bowed for Kurda. "Sire, apologises for interrupting you but it is important."

"Is it true?" Glalda growled, hackles risen. He, too, had been interrupted by the guards to discuss with Judith Iscar, one of Lord Gannen's elite officers, who had delivered news of the highest treachery.

"Aye, my Lords," Judith nodded solemnly, "As we speak right now, Lord Gannen and his Thought Police are wining and dining with Vancha March and the Resistance in the Black Forests."

"Gannen is loyal," Kurda interjected, "Why should I believe you?"

"My Lord Kurda, Gannen and Vancha are brothers," Judith stated, "He and a few of the others have been gathering Vampaneze who do not conform to your rule and they have joined the vampire Resistance."

Glalda growled furiously, "_**That worm**_!"

The True Lord spoke up, "Have you any news on the King?"

Judith bowed instantly before the grey-haired man, thankful with an audience with the Lord of the Vampaneze. Despite him only being half vampaneze there was a cunning air around him which demanded the respect of the entire clan. They had all seen him fighting and training vigorously and already he had carved a name as a fierce warrior.

"Aye, Lord Leopard," Judith sighed, bracing herself for their fury, "Vancha announce three days ago that the escapees, Gavner Purl, Arra Sails, Larten Crepsley and Darren Shan, have the sword and are days away from the Resistance camp. I left as soon as I could and flitted here to warn you."

Kurda's face went white, hand slowly stroking his neck. Glalda gave an animalistic snarl.

It was Leopard that spoke. "We can track Gannen's mental brainwaves; the fool doesn't know we are suspicious of his movements now. Assemble an Army and we shall meet them half way on the trek to the mountain. We need to act now before they gain too much ground." He stood and made his way down the platform, "Glalda, I think we can trust you to round up an army and lead them to battle?"

"Aye," Glalda growled, making haste as he, too, left the Hall of Lords to ready an army. Gannen would hang for his treachery tonight.

**So I thought I'd give Darren and Larten had a bit of a father and son moment there since I've not really written one for them yet and I'm too hung over to write something fast paced and dangerous.**

**Vampire Mountain's going to buggery at the moment now too :D**

**Next chapter will be the revealing the King and the start of a battle I think :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty Two**

_**Several days later...**_

Gannen and Vancha continued their brutal sparring match, Vancha throwing punches which his brother easily countered with vigorous kicks and well placed pressure points. The two seemed to be equally skilled, neither one appeared to be winning nor losing.

"Give up?" Vancha asked as he threw his brother in a tight wrist lock.

"Never," Gannen laughed, snapping out of the lock with relative ease. "What do you vampires always say? We will always fight?"

"_We will always resist. We will always fight. We will never surrender_." Vancha corrected, a flare of guilt blazing in his gut as he recalled Mika's dying words which had now become a somewhat motto to the vampires through their hour of torment and darkest. As though empowered by Mika's words, Vancha trapped Gannen's neck with his arm, thrusting his free hand into the small of his back to completely trap his brother. "Surrender?"

"Aye!" Gannen wheezed as his brother controlled his body with such a simple throat hold. He panted slightly when he was freed, a few of the vampires who had been watching clapped and a few vampaneze scowled. "Round two?"

"Aye," Vancha grinned, dropping to a defensive stance like Gannen and preparing to attack.

_**A moment away...**_

Gavner led the way through the forest, Darren behind then Arra and Larten bringing up the rear. Clasping the scabbard tightly, terrified her hand would stray to the grip, Arra held the sword. It had been an awkward implement to take on public transport and had to be smuggled on the best they could but, thankfully, eastern Europe were not as strict on bag searches as the west and so the closer to the Resistance camp they got, the easier it was to hide.

"I hear Vancha," Gavner grinned as he snapped a branch back and pressed forward.

"Wait," Larten snarled, nose in the air as he took a deep breath. Arra smelt it too, "_Vampaneze_,"

Darren's face went white like a ghost. He couldn't go back to the mountain; he'd tasted freedom and nothing could make him return to such a horrendous place. The mere though choked him up with fear and, judging by Arra and Gavner's expressions they thought the same.

"_That's **Lord Gannen**_," Arra mumbled as she picked out the second voice.

"I'll go first," Gavner decided bravely.

"No. I will go first. You and Arra can take Darren and the sword and flit to safety. I will be of no lose if the worse should happen." Larten said pompously though logically; Arra wouldn't be able to carry both he and Darren and the sword to flit away safely. It was obvious that it should be he that should enter the camp and find out why there were in fact Vampaneze present whilst Vancha spoke so joyfully.

With nods from his friends, Larten crept past Gavner, took a deep breath and marched forward. The camp was mobbed with bodies, vampires and vampaneze though none appeared to be fighting. He studied them in the bushes as a few wrestled another few kicked a ball whilst the others ate bean broth together and chatted absentmindedly. Vancha and Lord Gannen were sat on a log, close to the bushes in which Larten hid, speaking trivial nonsense whilst Gannen appeared to chew on tobacco. The pair sat so casually, like old friends or distant cousins at a reunion, Larten was confused to say the least.

Putting his mistrust and hatred for Lord Gannen aside, the vampire straightened out his tracksuit bottoms and hooded top to appear slightly more presentable, removing the hate he had been wearing against the early evening sunlight and approached.

"Prince Vancha?" he called, "Might I ask why there are Vampaneze running around so playfully and no one is worrying?"

Vancha snapped round but with a large grin on his face. Gannen looked up and, also, grinned wildly. The similarity in facial structure was uncanny that Larten could tell the two had to be from the same stem.

"This must be Mr Larten Crepsley," Gannen smiled standing and extending his hand.

Larten didn't take it but glared at the purple skinned man; he had been in trouble several times by the Thought Police for free thinking and voicing his thoughts to the others in the tunnel. Many nights Larten had been punished by the hands of Gannen and his men; waterboarding, solitary confinement, forced to remain awake for days, lengthy dips in ice cold water which, despite his vampire blood, froze him to the soul. To hell would Larten shake this man's hand. This man was evil, a disgusting being with disgusting virtues.

"Larten," Vancha frowned, "Wont you shake my brother's hand?" Brothers? Larten could definitely see some similarities in both body and facial structure though he hadn't realized they were so closely related. Odd to have a vampaneze brother when one was in fact a vampire.

"Larten?" Vancha growled now. He was slightly red and embarrassed that one of his people would not shake the hand of his brother, a man who had helped the Resistance in many ways.

"No, sire. I refuse to shake the hand, that has beaten me, in a friendly manner. Please forgive me, my Prince, but I would sooner be beheaded." Larten spat, eyes never leaving the Lord of the Thought Police. That was another thing Larten hated about the vampaneze; how their leaders and important men were all Lords of some description. None deserved such a hallow title.

"It's alright, Vancha," Gannen laughed, holding his brother back from lecturing Larten, "I can understand. We have to be cruel in the Mountain, Larten, but I am actually a nice man. If my men and I said no to orders it would be our heads that rolled."

"_I would make that choice any day_," Larten growled angrily, "_You are a monster. Your men are monsters! When our King has been located I swear, by the blood of Arrow, I will inform him of your criminal deeds. **Your head will roll, Gannen Hurst, and I will be right there when it happens**_,"

Gannen winced slightly and sighed, "Then I would like to tell the King of my seventeen years work in helping build this Resistance, bringing vampires from faraway to this point and spreading news from Lord Kurda and Lord Glalda," he retorted calmly.

"_If you are that Hell bent on saving people then why the fuck are your men torturing us in the Mountain?"_ Larten roared furiously, shaking with rage, "**_How dare you try to justify why you are a noble creature you absolute waste of skin_**!"

"Larten?" Gavner called as he, Arra and Darren entered the clearing, cowering slightly when they initially saw Gannen but relaxing when they saw Vancha place a hand on the Vampaneze' shoulder. "What's going on?"

"This is my brother, Gavner," Vancha nodded, "He has also been helping build this Resistance with me since day one. He does not deserve the abuse of you, Mr Crepsley. I think you should go and calm down."

"I think I should go all together!" Larten roared, "I refuse to stay here with that cur. It is yours fault so many have died! You-you-you-!"

"_Aye, come on_," Arra nodded, standing by Larten. "Come on, Larten. Let us go to the lake. I dislike the stench of evil in the air." Without a word she handed Gavner the sword and stormed away with Larten in tow, the pair shouting at every Vampaneze that looked them in the wrong way.

Vancha shook his head, embarrassed of his friends' behaviour to Gannen. Still, Gannen seemed to just take Larten's abuse like a professional. He was empathetic towards the orange haired vampire and knew that if the roles were reversed he would be equally as aggressive.

"My Sire and my Lord," Darren interrupted, nodding towards the sword that, due to Larten and Arra, had gone unnoticed by Vancha and Gannen, "We found it."

"Oh Gods," Vancha gasped, holding the scabbard with both hands, "Has anyone tried to open it?"

"No sire," Gavner mumbled, eyes darting to Gannen every so often; his position as a Vampire General was the only reason that he felt compelled to stay by Vancha and not storm away with his friends like his heart longed to do.

Vancha licked his lips, "Tell me about everything then we shall test the handle." He decided, leading Gavner and Darren to the tree house with Gannen.

_**Meanwhile...**_

Arra sat on the lower branches of a thick fir tree, overlooking a large lake which Larten skimmed stones across the surface of in a frustrated manner. None had said anything to one another since they found the lake; each was lost to their own thoughts of injustice.

"Why him?" Larten growled, "Why does no one else dislike him? He is a monster!"

"They're all as bad as each other," Arra whispered, shuddering in the memory of Glalda. She would never admit to anyone but Glalda terrified her; the moment in which he'd violated her in a cupboard, too weak to stop him, haunted her daily. Larten listened to her then threw a stone right across the lake, a small grin crossing his lips as he counted its skips which were well over ten.

"We are just so tense," Larten nodded as he looked for a new smooth stone, "Tension and stress are incredibly unhealthy for vampires."

"Aye," Arra sighed, "I long for the days when we were younger. Everything was so much better. You and I, we were free, the King and Queen of our own fate."

Larten smiled at that, "Remember that night I stole Seba's wine?"

Arra laughed, "Aye and you threw up in my coffin when we were sneaking behind everyone's backs?" Larten laughed loudly at that, "Remember when we both got caught getting a little frisky in the bushes of a public park?" she smirked when she saw Larten go red, "and we both had to flit completely naked? Then you stole clothes from us from a charity donation bag outside Oxfam?"

"I am not proud of that," Larten mumbled as his face blushed. He walked over to her and placed his head on the branch she sat on, "What about that time I decided I wanted to learn to drive like a human? Gavner and I used to race each other in those rusting metal tubs till Gavner got done for speeding and being well over the alcohol limit to drive as a human."

Arra snorted and shook her head, "I remember your car; a Plymouth Fury. Gods only knows what Seba would have said if he caught you cruising around like a human."

"You loved it really," Larten laughed, reaching out and grasping her kneecap.

"I really didn't. Especially at the speed you drove it. I never knew I had motion sickness till I sat in that death-machine!" Arra teased, lying out on the branch so her head was beside his. "We had too much fun as children."

"We are far from children now," Larten nodded with a sigh, "I think we are both more grown up. I mean, if not mentally than in appearance and processions. We both look mid-thirties, I have a child as an assistant and you have a highly successful career as a General. When we were last together we were young and foolish, you know?"

Arra smiled, extending her hand and running it through his growing orange hair, scratching the back of his head, "Aye, you are right." She noted how close their faces were, noticing Larten's blush as it seemed he thought the same thing. Recalling the taxi and the concert, Arra prepared for them to kiss and was slightly shocked when Larten stood and walked back over to the lake.

"Sorry, Arra," he smiled slightly, "I never meant to invade your personal space,"

Arra laughed at that, hopping off her branch and giving him a playful shove, "Come on then. Teach me how to skim stones," she said, making his chuckle and nod.

**_Later..._**

Gavner retailed the events, skipping no detail. Vancha seemed particularly interested in the site and location of the sword, unsure what to make of the brick with Larten's name upon it.

"No time like the present," Gannen clapped his hands, "I will assemble every vampire present to test the sword."

"Aye," Vancha nodded eagerly as he, Darren and Gavner stood and made the decent from the tree house and onto the forest floor. Within seconds the entire Resistance camp appeared, all eager to witness the unveiling of the King. Seventeen years of degradation would soon be over; today was a day which would go down in history.

**So I promise the next chapter we'll have our King and I have already started on the battle scene (I get too excited to write bits that I'm not even at yet :L)**

**I forgot that Gannen hadn't arrived when the vampires were at the fortress so I thought I should write about their reactions to working beside the vampaneze and I thought, considering how Traditional Arra is and Larten's experience with the vampaneze, they would be a little shy to work with them to say the least.**

**Furthermore, did anyone else watch Rafa play Andy Murry? I'm scottish and I honestly cannot stand Andy xD honestly, I wish he would just smile!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty Three**

The sword was placed in a vice sort of stand which kept the handle at the perfect height for anyone to attempt to pull it from its scabbard. Darren couldn't help but think of the old story: The Sword and the Stone, the beefiest looking vampires stood in the front of the queue to attempt to remove it. What amused Darren the most was that everyone seemed shy to remove it. They all knew what Mr Tiny had warned about the sword in the hands of anyone but the King.

Vancha sat on a table with his brother and Gavner either side. He pointed a grubby finger out at the crowd. "I say Roger Shakron attempt to pull the sword," he grinned as the crowd roared with laughter, pushing a weedy vampire with blonde dyed hair towards the sword.

Roger looked at the Prince, then Lord Gannen, then Gavner and Darren, took a big breath and wrapped his hands around the sword's black grip. For a long painful second nothing appeared to happen. Roger looked as confused as everyone else, staring at Gavner, "I thought you said we-_**ARGH**_!" Roger screamed out, a current of electricity surging through him as he convulsed violently. With an almighty scream, Roger was thrown to the floor where he seemed to have some sort of a fit before coming round.

Everyone circled around the weedy vampire to study him as he slowly came round.

"Roger? How do you feel?" Vancha asked, stifling a laugh as the vampire's hair seemed to smoulder.

"Like I've just been electrocuted," Roger coughed,

Gannen and Vancha shared a look with Darren and Gavner before Vancha shouted out at the rest, "_**NEXT!**_"

_**An hour or two later...**_

Vampire after vampire attempted to remove the sword but no one succeeded. It became a standing joke. No one attempted to pull the blade but rather just held the handle and hope for the best.

As the last vampire fell, Gavner nudged Vancha, "That leaves you, Larten, Darren and I," he whispered.

"Should I go and find Mr Crepsley?" Darren asked.

"Aye," Vancha nodded, Darren hopping of the table to find his mentor.

Gavner stood slowly, cracking his knuckles as the last vampire peeled himself from the floor. They all looked so disheartened that Gavner couldn't help but act jovial. "Alright cowards! I'll show you how a _King_ pulls a sword from a vice," he winked as he approached the sword. Slowly, he extended his hand to the grip and cautiously wrapped his fingers around it.

Fear flashed through Gavner's mind, that same terror one experiences when boarding a roller coaster. He closed his eyes and counted. 'One…two…three…four…five…six…seve-" Gavner convulsed violently, flying for miles and fitting as every vampire before him did. The Resistance laughed loudly when Gavner came to, blinking with a shy smile, "Guess the sword's_ broken_," he choked, staggering to his feet and pointing a trembling hand at Vancha, "Your turn, Sire,"

Vancha stared at the sword and laughed, "I don't think I'm King; I hate weapons!" he walked towards the sword, clasping Gavner's back as he prepared to pull the sword from its scabbard.

_**Meanwhile….**_

Darren sighed, hearing Gavner cursing loudly and thus drawing the conclusion that his jolly friend was unsuccessful, and couldn't help but feel slightly downhearted. If the King wasn't here then it would mean that a second search would need to be launched and in that case they may be too late to save their friends back in the mountain.

With that thought praying on his mind, Darren found Larten and Arra, laying on their backs and gazing up at the cloudy night sky. It was going to snow soon, the entire camp could feel the chill in their bones and an anxiety in their guts –snow would only mean trouble for the entire Resistance and make travel harder to do.

"No luck, Shan?" Arra asked, hearing Darren enter the clearing.

"I've not been up yet. Vancha, Mr Crepsley and me are the last men here," Darren sighed, "The rest of the Resistance have tried and failed. They all end up being electrocuted and fall to the floor."

Arra snorted, "So we have two and a half men left to attempt to wield the sword?"

Darren frowned, unable to hide the look of hurt on his face from being referred to as the 'half' of the two and a half. It was Larten who voiced his disapproval, slapping Arra's thigh softly, "Stop being so mean," he said with an amused smile, "Darren's proved that he is far more than 'half' a man. He has an equal chance as anyone does,"

Arra laughed and stood, "What makes you both think _Darren_ was the 'half'?" she asked Larten playfully.

"You know fine well I am not a _half_," Larten grinned, making Darren near choke on his breath; had Mr Crepsley just flirted with Arra? Noticing Darren's bewilderment, Larten coughed awkwardly and straightened out his tracksuit bottoms, "Come hither," was all the orange hair man said as he led the way back to camp.

_**Back at camp….**_

Vancha was laying on his back, shaking slightly, whilst Gannen roared with laughter. From what Arra could make out, Vancha had arrogantly swaggered to the sword only to be rejected and sent flying well passed the average drop zone; the sword really didn't like him, that was for sure. Rolling onto his feet, the grubby vampire snuffed out the flames on his animal furs before pointing at Darren hopefully, "Come on, Shan. Give it some wellie."

"Do not do this if you do not want to," Larten whispered in Darren's ear, "You owe no one this."

Darren swallowed hard fearfully, feeling Larten's hand tight on his shoulder protectively. Slowly he peeled from his mentor's grasp and neared the sword within the vice. It was still as stunning as it had been on the night of discovery.

The tiger on the handle seemed to almost stare at Darren, those green emeralds glaring at the half vampire as the tiger's expression was forever fixed into a fierce roar with two elongated silver fangs. Slowly Darren ran his finger up the cool leather of the scabbard before nearing the rain guard and pausing. He looked back at Larten who seemed to have readied himself to catch Darren in the likelihood of rejection.

Taking a deep breath, Darren wrapped his hand around the grip and tugged, the sword pulling free of its scabbard as Darren stumbled back from the force he'd used to remove the sword. There was a gasp from the crowd as the half vampire held the handle with no adverse effects, studying the shining blade in complete awe; running along the centre of the blade in rich gold were the words that had built the Resistance and had hardened the vampires in the mountain;

_"We will always resist. We will always fight. We will never surrender."_

"Darren's the **King**," Gavner gasped, eyes wide.

"How is that possible? He is a half vampire," a vampaneze commented as he watched the boy in shock.

Darren couldn't say anything, only stared at the sword in complete shock. He had pulled it from the scabbard and hadn't been electrocuted like all the others.

"Darren?" Larten called, walking towards Darren with a large smile on his lips, "Well don-" Darren suddenly let out a scream of complete agony, a horrible sizzling sound being emitted from the hand which clutched the handle; the sword was literally burning his flesh. **_"_**Darren, drop the sword!" Larten roared whilst the medics of the Resistance approached with a bucket of cold water for his hand.

"I_ can't_!" Darren roared, shaking his arm as he failed to loosen his grip, some sort of unseen force compelling him to continue to hold the handle, "Mr Crepsley_ help_," he shouted as he tossed his arm backwards and forwards in the air.

Instinctively Larten darted forward, one hand on Darren's back whilst he tightly grabbed the sword's cross-guard and tugging it hard. He could feel the heat from Darren's burning flesh, the half vampire had tears streaking down his cheeks as his mentor tried desperately to free him from the torturous weapon.

"Hold on, Darren," Larten muttered, prying each finger off individually with great difficulty before finally jerking the sword free of Darren's hand. Instantly the medics ran to Darren, horrified when they saw the blackened burnt flesh, throwing it into the freezing cold water were it fizzed from the intense heat.

"It hurts so bad," Darren cried, gritting his teeth as Gannen, Vancha, Larten, Arra and Gavner circled around him worriedly.

"Darren, you pulled the sword out but look at your hand! I don't understand," Vancha frowned, "I thought you were the King? Try holding it with your other hand,"

"Fuck the King," Arra scowled, "_Look at the state of the hand he used_!"

"Don't shout at me," Vancha snarled, "No pain, no gain."

"He's only a child!" Arra protested.

"**I am not a child**!" Darren interrupted angrily, yelping in pain as the medics removed his hand and began wrapping it up. They were going to have to act fast to remove all the dead skin and seal the open wound before bacteria spread and an infection developed; they had no antibiotics and so amputation would have to occur if a severe infection took hold.

"Then prove it and take the swo-" Vancha stopped mid-sentence, following Gavner and Gannen's eyes as they stared, in shock, at Larten beside him. Travelling his eyes down Larten's thin frame he spied, still in the orange haired vampire's grasp, the sword, the gleam in the tiger's emerald eyes on similar par to Larten's own green eyes.

Larten never seemed to notice anything odd till realisation donned. He had been holding the sword for almost three consecutive minutes and had felt nothing out of the ordinary. The sword hadn't rejected him but accepted him.

"L-Larten?" Arra stammered, "How do you feel?"

"Fine," Larten panicked. Once so strong, Larten was noticeably weaker and lame –he couldn't flit yet, feeling as though the very force than had seen him learn had died-, there were hundreds of stronger and more worthy vampires present that deserved the sword more than he did.

Vancha and Larten's eyes met, both fearful of Larten's new found responsibilities. Vancha knew fine well that Larten was too scrawny and feeble to lead an army. They were royally screwed if the vampire was to fight Lord Glalda, the Vampaneze Lord, or Lord Kurda.

An eerie silence fell over the entire camp, broken by Vancha and Larten as they said in perfect symmetry;

**"**_**Bollocks."**_

**Slightly over due would have liked to have posted yesterday but i was drunk on Saturday, had work on the Sunday, and now I am currently attempting to make a music video with five well dressed chimps (if you don't get the reference I'd youtube Bruno Mars :P )**

**So there we have it. Larten is King dun dun dun. Thought I'd have Darren pull the sword free because Larten is his Sire just in case that wasn't as obvious as I thought I'd made it (which is probably not very :L)**

**I'll try and get the next chapter up today but right now I'm also currently working on my entry to Amelia333's summer quote contest (If you haven't already done so then definately check it out. It looks like its going to be a real laugh and the quotes are all so good -there's tonnes of possible stories you can write with said quotes!). That said I'm actually using events of my last summer as my entry so not a lot of thinking required just a lot of remembering (which in itself is hard since Summer '10 will forever be known as the 6 Week Long Black Out)**

**Thanks so so so so so much to all the reviewers! Over 100 reviews! Honestly it's fantastic to read them all. Thank you so so so so so so so so (times infinity plus one) so much :)**

**Also thanks to everyone who's been Pm-ing me. I think it's great to meet new people and I really do enjoy it so please keep speaking ^^**

**Thanks again so much**

**Preston (:**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty Four**

Larten collapsed in a panting heap, vomiting the meagre beans he had had that morning to prepare him for Vancha's vigorous training. Four weeks had passed since he was pronounced as the Vampire King and since then training had become more intense for everyone. Larten was Vancha's own little project and was relentless in training sessions.

"Now you're throwing up?" Vancha growled, grabbing Larten's orange hair tight and shoving his face inches from the sick, "Not like the food we gave you? Do you!"

"Sire," Larten gagged, "I'm…exhausted…let me….rest?"

That saw Larten slapped hard on the ear before being pushed back to his feet, "You rest when I say you can get a fucking rest. Now pick up your bag and keep jogging!" Vancha ordered, kicking Larten towards the potato sack filled with stupidly heavy rocks which Larten was being made to carry for a twenty mile jog. "Hurry up!"

Silently, Larten swung the sack over his shoulder and continued to jog the last seven miles, Vancha kicking him every time he stumbled or allowed his fast pace to drop.

**_Later..._**

Arra was seeing to her bruises from sparring late that noon. Darren was exhaustedly curled up in a ball, his burnt hand still tender and wrapped tight in bandages to offer slight relief and protection from dust and dirt. Gavner, too, was drained –his energy stores so depleted that his breathing seemed even deeper and thus his snoring was beginning to break the sound barrier. Unlike Larten their training was done in groups with consistent breaks. They were punished if they didn't carry out what was asked of them but in all Gannen was less strict on them and fairer to their basic needs.

When she heard a curse, Arra peered out from the window of the tree house, spying Larten curling himself into a ball by the tree's roots.

"Larten?" she called as she slowly started descending to ground level. Ideally the camp slept up high and out of sight through the day, just for safe keeping. "Aren't you coming up?"

Larten didn't even bother sitting up but rather remained lying and lifted his head to look at her. He sighed when he heard her gasp; he was a mess. His hair was greasy and dirt, those alert green eyes were bloodshot and tired with huge black circles around them. The vampire's cheeks were burnt red from training running late into the noon whilst his entire body was black and blue with bruises. Arra could smell his powerful odour from standing mere yards away; he smelt a mix of several potent scents; vomit, dirty sweat, musk, urine, blood.

"Larten, what happened to you?" she asked as she knelt beside him, rubbing spit into a few of his cuts and grazes.

"Vancha is working me like a dog," the vampire croaked, his muscles shaking from fatigue, "Arra he is killing me. I cannot even climb up that fucking tree to sleep! I am such a feeble bastard. I do not deserve to be the King. I am going to fail. I am-"

"You're not going to fail," Arra growled, lying behind him and wrapping his sore body in her arms, "It is going to be okay, Sweetheart," she promised as she heard him sniff. It was obvious just how hard he was working and how frustrated he was becoming from his frequent failings. Larten was never weak but his confidence had just dwindled completely. It was as though the orange haired vampire could fore-see his failing in battle and now no longer saw the point in fighting anymore. Arra pitied him greatly.

"I am sorry I am being such a pessimist. I think it is my not being able to flit yet that has completely deluded my senses. It has really rocked my confidence," Larten admitted with a slight sigh. He rolled over and nuzzled into Arra's chest for warmth and comfort whilst she stroked his hair softly.

"How did you learn when you just became a full vampire?" Arra asked. Flitting was very much the human equivalent to riding a bicycle in that it took time and patience on the mentor's behalf for their assistants to learn. However, like a bike it took one negative experience to completely unwind the hours and hours of work that the mentor had administrated into helping their assistant achieve the ability to flit.

"Seba broke it down," Larten said, "Gradually he helped me build up to flitting." There was an eerie silence as Arra and Larten recalled Seba with great sadness. "Seba Nile," Larten nodded sadly, "My mentor, my friend, my father, my hero-" the last words were a struggle to say, Arra could feel Larten's voice constrict as supressed emotions which had been brewing since Seba's death overwhelmed him, "Seba Nile," he repeated, "My dearest and oldest friend."

"Do you miss him?" Arra asked, sensing he was on the verge of crying –a sight even Arra had never seen Larten do. It was a stupid question, she knew full well he did, but she hoped it was enough to see him release the pain of losing someone so loved.

Arra was right. Larten opened his mouth to speak but instead sobbed, burrowing his head into her chest and weeping. "Shush," Arra soothed, squeezing him tighter to her body.

They stayed like that for the rest of the day, shortly Larten tired himself out completely whilst Arra remained awake. Protectively she wrapped him tight in her grasp, wanting so badly for him to stop hurting like he was. Hopefully mourning the death of his mentor would in fact allow that to happen. Kissing the top of his orange coloured head, Arra sighed softly. She hated him being in pain.

_**Around Midnight….**_

Larten's eyes fluttered open softly, frowning when he realized he was in the medical room, lying on a bed with Gannen stood beside him. Instantly, Larten growled and attempted to move. Despite Arra slowly falling for Gannen's friendly air like Gavner and Darren, Larten still hated the man and deliberately removed himself from any room he was in.

"Vancha will not be training you today," Gannen nodded in a low voice. "I am afraid you have the privilege of my company instead."

"Why am I in the medical house?" Larten snarled.

"Arra said you have a good few knocks and bumps that we should look at. Hence why you are not being trained as firmly as Vancha usually does. Today, you and I are going to the field to practice flitting," Gannen stated, remaining emotionless when he saw the shamed look sweep over Larten's face. "For now, however, you just have a few hours more in bed and I will meet you at midnight-"

"What time is it now?" Larten frowned, his body clock completely distorted from erratic schedules of work. Usually he began training with the sun still up to toughen his skin, usually in the field by around about four in the evening.

"It is ten at night. Would you like a little longer than two hours to prepare yourself?" Gannen asked as he examined Larten's bloody blistered feet.

"No, that is more than enough time," Larten mumbled. "I will see you outside." He pulled his feet away from Gannen's eyes.

"If you get the chance I would recommend going for a wash," Gannen commented as he walked out of the room, leaping from the tree house and landing effortlessly on the floor. Larten sighed and slowly rose from bed, leaping across to the tree opposite to find a fresh pair of clothes. One thing Gannen had said was right- he reeked to the Gods.

**_Two Hours later..._**

Gannen waited patiently in the field, not in the least bit annoyed that Larten had failed to keep within the two hours they'd agreed. Having had a lengthy conversation with Arra Sails about Larten's emotional breakdown and how concerned his inability to flit was making him, Gannen had spoken to Vancha to take charge of Larten for a night. With Arra's recommendation, Gannen would take Larten back to basics and hopefully from their they would make headway in training sessions.

Ten minutes late Larten showed up, a scowl on his face at having to work with Gannen in such close contact. Still, this man was going to try to help him and Larten knew full well that in order to do that the vampire would have to hold his tongue and behave.

"Nice for you to join me, your Majesty," Gannen greeted with a slight amused tone.

"Gannen," Larten nodded stonily.

His abruptness was no surprised to Gannen who only rolled his eyes with a smile, "Today we're working on flitting and going back to basics," he introduced the lesson, "We'll start by deciding where the muscles required to flit are located on your person. If you would care to point out what muscles allow you to flit, we will begin."

Larten's hands instinctively fell to his calves, running his fingers over the thick muscle which was present, "Here and here," he pressed his hands on his thighs next, feeling how tense they were with the situation. "Seba always said you needed to be healthy and fit in order to achieve a fast pace."

"Wise words however you forgot the most important part of your person which controls when you can and can't flit," Gannen nodded, pointing a finger to his head, "Your mind. If you do not think you can flit then you will not. If you think you can flit then you will. That's the general rule. Flitting is like all things, psychological as well as physical." Larten looked shamed that he hadn't correctly guessed which made Gannen feel slightly guilty, "Come on. Let's practice simple sprint work just now. We can worry about actual flitting later. Sprint as hard as you can to that tree."

Larten looked at Gannen suspiciously but nodded, crouching low before flying forward, legs and arms moving in sync as he raced himself to the tree. To his surprise he heard Gannen clap.

"Wonderful work!" he said, a smile on his purple face, "We've a lot to work with. Come back here and we'll try and speed you up a bit."

Strange, Larten thought as he slowly jogged back to the start line and did as told.

As they continued for several more hours Larten couldn't believe how different the brothers were in teaching style. Gannen refused to work Larten too hard; made sure he was well watered and took plenty of rests whilst practising. Gannen would also praise Larten which was strange and, slowly, the vampire was beginning to actually have fun.

"That was faster that time," Larten nodded when he jogged back to the starting line.

"Definitely," Gannen nodded, "Your legs were starting to blur slightly." The vampaneze scratched his head thoughtfully, "Let's try and get the stabilizers off you now. I will begin to flit but I will push you along with me, if you don't mind the contact?"

"Aye," Larten nodded eagerly, "but only if you promise not to let go before I say, okay?"

"As you wish, your Majesty," Gannen nodded standing behind Larten with his hand hovering above the small of his back. "On the count of three run as fast as you can and I will follow, okay?"

"Aye," Larten nodded, "One. Two. Three!" he shot off at a supernatural speed, Gannen smiling and following, hand hovering but not touching the vampire's back.

"I'm about to flit, Larten," Gannen nodded, noticing the vampire copied and began to build up an even greater speed. "That's it! Keep going Larten!"

Larten didn't even feel out of breath as he exhilarated further, the world starting to blur around them as Larten successfully flitted, "You can take off your hand," the vampire grinned as the flitted together through the countryside, travelling northwards where snow was starting to fall.

Gannen smirked, hands having no been nowhere near Larten through the entire process, "Aye, Sire," he shouted over the wind as the pair back tracked and ran towards the camp.

Larten's arms were raised high into the air as they stopped running and appeared in the centre of the camp. Arra, Darren, Gavner and Vancha smiled widely when they saw how strong Larten suddenly looked, exhilerated from winning what had been a long and tiresome personal battle. The orange haired vampire had his confidence back, a flaming gleam so bright in his eyes that brought joy into the hearts of each Resistance member who saw.

They now had a King to lead them to war.

**I thought I'd post a little filler chapter and have Larten brought back to a very Larten-ish form. Next chapter will be Glalda and his men fighting the Resistance I think so I'll do that tonight for tomorrow at some point :)**

**Thank you all so much for the reviews :D**

**I'm over the one hundred mark now which is fantastic and I'd love for them to keep coming if you don't mind :)**

**Please review and leave a comment about what you disliked or liked and I'll forever be grateful :D**

**Thank you so so so so so much (:**

**Preston (:**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty Five**

Fane Bumbescu staggered through the forests, tears staining his dirty, cut cheeks, the salt stinging in three deep scores on the left side of his cheek.

_So dizzy…_

Fane had no idea what had happened to his family, to his neighbours, to his entire town. During the heat of action Fane had slept in a barn away from his home when the _Demons_ had come. It wasn't until the morning when he had woken to a ghost town littered with the bloodless bodies of people he once knew. Tears poured from his eyes as he remembered the Preacher, his body crucified on the crucifix which stood proud upon the only church. He had been such a jolly man, welcoming to strangers. Fane was, like the rest of his village, highly religious and very superstitious. For their community leader to die in such a way Fane could only think that the _Devil_ had been involved.

"Mamă!" Fane shouted desperately "Tată?"

Freash tears poured down Fane's face as he continued to run through the forests, sobbing wildly. He was too scared to look back, stopping only to sleep for three hours a night then continuing his crosscountry sprint. He needed help. Someone had to help him find his parents.

Fane broke free of the thick fir forests and stumbled towards a vast lake. He hadn't realized his thirst till presented with water, dropping to his knees and lapping up the water like a dog. It was freezing, hurting his teeth slightly as the burning pain in Fane's throat vanished. The water also offered Fane a reflective surface to study himself; his long greasy blonde hair was plastered to his head, this very tanned skin looked sticky and grimy with sweat, dirt and blood. A shaking frail had run along the three scars on the side of his cheek. Fane knew nothing as to where they had come from but was absolutely certain it was the mark of the _Devil._

There was a rustling behind him, Fane gasped and clumsily grabbed a rock and turned around, eyes bleary brown eyes waiting for the Demons to finish the job they had begun on his village.

"Hello?" a voice called as a boy stepped into the clearing.

Fane stared at the boy in shock; he was about Fane's age, built very muscularly with shaggy black hair and ghostly white skin. Unlike Fane the boy was well dressed with a small sword attached to his hip by a brown leather belt which instantly worried Fane as the wind blew against his ragged night-dress and his weakened hand held the smooth pebble he had intended to use as a weapon.

"My name is Darren," the boy said, smiling and revealing his white, sharp teeth under his rosy red lips. "What is your name?"

Fane knew brief English from when outsiders came to his father's farm but even then the outsiders never had such a strange accent. Fane had never heard such a strange voice. Was this another _Demon_?

"Where you from?" Fane pointed a weak finger at the boy, "You not Romanian."

"I'm from the west," Darren nodded, hands up high to show he meant no harm, "I am from a placed called Limerick, in Ireland. Are you Romanian? What is your name? What happened to you?" Fane looked confused, swaying unsteadily as he tried to translate everything this Darren of Limerick said. As the lost boy ran his hands through his hair, Darren could see the three scars on the side of his face and gasped; he'd been marked by the vampaneze!

"Marks," Darren nodded, stroking his own cheek to emulate Fane's, "Where are you from?"

"Town," Fane croaked, pointing back the hundreds of miles he'd struggled to run, "_Beelzebub_,"

"What's that?" Darren frowned, "You're from a town called _Beelzebub_?"

"No," Fane moaned, dropping to his knees, "_Beelzebub_ enter town. I not speak good English,"

Darren looked stupid, stood there with no idea as to what this boy was on about. He did, however, see Fane was becoming dizzy, darting forward when the boy collapsed on the stony bank of the lake. "Are you okay?" Darren asked, checking for a pulse before laying the boy in the recovery position.

In times like this there was only one thing Darren knew to do.

_**"MR CREPSLEY!"**_

**_Whilst this was occurring…_**

It was so hard to believe that a simple thing such as learning to flit would have such a great impact on Larten but it had. No longer was he panting and vomiting through Vancha's training sessions but rather was out fighting and running Vancha now. What's more was that Larten's morale boost was infectious.

Arra was at the top of her game once more, fearlessly back flipping on the makeshift bars, her head held high and proud constantly as she went undefeated during sparring matches. There had been a huge amount of commotion when Arra managed to better Gannen in a duel before taking his brother on instantly. It was safe to say that neither brother had expected such a slender lady to fight like such a panther.

Gavner, also, was back to his large, muscular built self. His hair was back to being shaggy and spikey, and that boyish personality seemed to be at an all-time high. After yet another successful wrestling match, Gavner eagerly devoured the venison which a vampaneze had caught and cooked for that morning's dinner.

"Truly the vampaneze are masters of culinary arts," Larten mumbled as he sat with his best friend and enjoyed his own meal of diced deer and beans. As much as he hated the vampaneze he was glad of the tender meat they'd hunted, butchered then cooked for the camp.

"I heard Vancha's wanting to move us along now," Gavner nodded, "Apparently we're ready to take on the vampaneze."

"I have no doubts about the Resistance. I worry about our brethren in the mountain," Larten nodded, wiping sauce from his mouth, "We have been away for the best part of a year. Anything could have happened. For all we know Kurda liquidized the entire ca-"

_**"Mr Crepsley!"**_

Gavner and Larten stared at each other for the tiniest of seconds, dropped their plates and legged it towards Darren as he continued to scream at the top of his voice, _**"Mr Crepsley! Gavner!"**_

Breaking into the clearing, the vampires halted before Darren, Larten hurriedly examining his assistant whilst Gavner removed his knives and glared around the lake, looking for attackers. When he spied the boy lying on his side by the lake, Gavner frowned.

"That boy's been marked," Darren nodded as he lead Larten and Gavner towards the boy. "He was going on about his town. I think he said it was called _Beelzebub_,"

Larten and Gavner shared a sceptic look, knowing what Beelzebub actually meant. Scooping Fane up in his arms, Larten flitted towards the Resistance camp whilst Gavner jogged with Darren, "_Beelzebub_ means _Devil_, Darren. Did you catch his name?"

"He didn't tell me. He can't speak very good English and was pretty suspicious of my accent," Darren nodded.

"This entire area is very suspicious and superstitious of anything strange, Darren. This is the old Transylvania, you know? He probably thinks you're a demon or a witch or something fictional." Gavner laughed slightly, "Don't take it personally."

"He said the Beelzebub entered his town…do you think it was the vampaneze?" Darren said in a low whisper.

"We'll find out," Gavner nodded as they came to the Resistance camp, Larten and Arra sat at the foot of the tree in which the medical hut was. Gavner could see Gannen's cape flutter as he entered the hut, no doubt with Vancha.

Within seconds the whole camp was aware of the human boy and in minutes the entire forest was alive with the sounds of his terrified screams and desperate sobs for his mother and father.

_**Miles and Miles and Miles away...**_

Glalda licked his bloodied lips and grinned at the men around him making camp for dawn. He rubbed his bloated belly and stretched out on the bed of moss he had created, the thick trees preventing the worse of the blizzard from hitting them. Vampaneze usually are very organized with drinking human blood but after seventeen years of being locked up in a mountain with bottled blood given to them by the Blood Scouts, a good killing spree was in order.

It had done his fifty strong army good too, awoken dormant muscles and instincts which living in the mountain had pretty much ridded them of. Perhaps draining an entire town was too much but Glalda didn't care all that much. He'd thought it was funny, especially when one of his men had humiliated the Preacher. That had been a hilarious moment, times like that wishing Glalda had some sort of camera.

The winds were howling loudly, screaming in their ears as snow pelted the landscape at a merciless speed. The mountains were frequently cursed with terrible snow and ice but Glalda had never seen the weather be so unforgiving; the wind and ice combination could strip the bones off a vampire or vampaneze let alone a human or a deer.

"Lord Glalda," a scout whom had flitted a head said as he returned, face frost bitten and red, "I don't think we're going to be able to move anywhere in this. It's too dangerous; we could become very lost and disorientated. Our best bet, I feel, is to just wait for the blizzard to end before continuing."

"How long will that take?" Glalda asked.

"Two days, maybe three?" the scout informed, "I can't tell you for sure but these parts aren't strangers to this sort of weather."

Glalda sighed and shooed the scout away as he curled himself up to rest. His orders had come straight from the Lord of the Vampaneze; that wicked young man with the prematurely grey hair and those wicked pale eyes. He was a man after Glalda's own heart. Steve Leopard, dubbed 'Lord Leopard', was a schemer and very cunning. Already he was changing how vampaneze worked and thought in the Mountain, shaping them into nothing short of mercenary soldiers.

Vampire King or not, the vampires would surely never succeed in their pathetic plight.

**_Late into the day..._**

Fane was confused as he sat in a tree house, several strange men around him. There was one of the Resistance members he had warmed to and he sat beside her squeezing her hand whenever Larten or Vancha got too close. For some reason he wasn't scared of the bulky Gavner or the cape wearing Gannen though was terrified of Larten and Vancha.

"Can you point to your town on the map where your home is?" Arra asked softly, walking Fane towards a large map of the area and the Mountains on a table. Fane seemed to understand and pointed out to a settlement a hundred or so miles away. No one could believe the boy had made such a trek alone but, judging by his current state, no one argued. "What happened?" Arra asked even softer than before, "What did you see."

"Neighbours dead. Sister dead. Preacher dead," Fane mumbled, "I was sleep in barn. Everyone dead in morning," he gripped Arra tighter and began crying. Instinctively Arra pulled him into an embrace and looked at Vancha, Gannen and Larten for the plan of action.

It was Gannen who spoke up, "There are three more Villages which may be at risk. We would be wise to evacuate."

"Aye," Larten nodded, watching the sobbing boy's back quaking as he buried himself in Arra's chest. A memory was evoked in Larten as he recalled his blood brother, Wester Flack. He had been made an orphan after the Vampaneze slayed his family. With that in mind Larten suddenly felt strongly in favour of evacuating other villages, "I want no other children orphaned."

"What do you expect us to do then?" Vancha spat, "You can't just uproot fifty odd humans because we said so. We would be best to ready the Resistance and make for the Mountain. Obviously they're looking for us now."

Larten shrugged defiantly, "I want the villages evacuated."

"I don't think that's possible," Vancha growled.

"Then we will make it possible," Larten snarled.

Gannen interrupted before an argument broke out, "If I send a few of my men out there with Fane we could convince them?" he offered, "Vampires don't have the same vibrant red hair and purple skin that we do. Perhaps my men could even scare them to leave?"

Larten looked at Fane who was now staring at Gannen, recognizing his name in the conversation. When Fane stared at Larten there was a noticeable fear but also strength in his eyes; Larten was certain that this boy could prove useful to the Resistance. "Aye, Gannen," Larten nodded and knelt before the boy and stared him at eye level, "Fane, will you help us move other villages away from the Demons?"

Fane looked very confused but nodded, "I help make people leave,"

Larten nodded and Gannen took the boy down the tree to find his friendlier men to accompany him.

"Right," Vancha nodded. "I think we should move now. If we pack up, don our armour we could leave tonight. With any luck we'll make it to the snowdrifts without any problems."

**Hallo ^^**

**There's chapter Twenty-Five up now :D**

**I know I keep saying the next chapter will be the first battle but it's still a work in progress. However I can tell you that the next chapter will be something completely different and then the following chapter will be the first battle scene :) Brownie Promise xDD**

**Thank you all so so so much for the reviews so far; I'm glad to read them all (it makes me feel popular when my inbox has lots of notifications :P)**

**Preston :D**

**(wide smiled face for I just had a duck sandwhich and feel I should express my joy that it was so tender :D)**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty Six**

Arra couldn't help but hate the metal armour which she was supposed to wear over her person for travelling and for battle. It wasn't heavy or clunky, nor did it rub her skin raw when she moved. What annoyed her was how the glistering silver steel accentuated her curves; perfectly covering her chest and the concave curve of her hips. She felt slightly singled out as the only woman in the Resistance as she walked through the camp, her lace of barbed rope wound tightly and hanging by her hip. The glances from the men who gawked somewhat was also slightly irritating if not nerving.

She spied Gavner helping to saddle up horses which had been stolen from a local farmer in exchange for far more money than the stallions and mares were worth –they'd posted the money through the letter box and no one dared quiz Vancha as to how he acquired said money. Gavner appeared to be the only man not to gape at her body. _Good old Gavner…_

"I never took you as a horse person," she mused, leaning against a tree as she watched Gavner take a curry comb over a chestnut male.

"Before I became a vampire I used to work on an equestrian ranch in the Blue Mountains in Australia," Gavner smiled then laughed when he saw Arra's expression, "A horse ranch. We used to breed them and sell them. I had this beautiful stallion that the boss let me keep once; a red bay, absolutely wonderful horse."

Neither Arra, Gavner or Larten spoke much about their old lives so it was refreshing to hear Gavner speak of his old life in Australia. Arra could almost picture him perfectly in the warm climate, riding a horse which he loved in a mountains; so carefree and exhilarated by riding.

"Larten can have this horse," Gavner nodded with a sly grin –Vancha and Gannen were traveling by horse back and wanted Larten to ride behind them. Ahead of them would be a dud King wearing a crown which, though it was an unfortunate job, was a very honourable deed.

"Why?" Arra frowned as she inspected the male curiously. She assumed it was because the horse had a slightly orangey pelt but when Gavner lifted the horse's tail she rolled her eyes.

"_He's a gelding_," Gavner grinned cheekily.

**_Later..._**

After a good few hours the Resistance had begun the march to the mountain, making a strong pace which continued for a good amount of days till they reached the snowdrifts. Darren had never felt such freezing cold weather before in his life and judging by the older vampires, neither had they.

Vancha forced them onwards, the crimson cape he wore blowing wildly behind him as his stead powered on. None of the Resistance had seen Vancha wear anything so…marvellous ever. Seeing Vancha in anything other than his custom animal hides had been a shock but it instantly brought reality to the Resistance; they were coming home.

That morale boost was short lived however. Darren's teeth were chattering loudly as his skin started turning blue; being only a half vampire he was suffering the most and looked very hypothermic. Noticing the younger member of their group, Gavner draped an arm around Darren's shoulder.

"_Larten_!" he shouted over the screeching winds.

A chestnut horse's head turned against the wind whilst its rider led it back to Gavner.

"_Aye_!" Larten yelled back as his horse grudgingly faced the pelting sleet and wind once more.

"_Darren's freezing_!" Gavner pointed to Darren who was being dragged forward by the General, face now a nasty blue.

"_Pass him up here_," Larten grabbed Darren by the shoulders and lifted him to his metal chest as he removed his red cape and struggled to bring it forward. He covered Darren with the cape, a thick arm holding the boy to his chest as he desperately tried to protect him from the worse of the weather.

"_Vancha_!" Gannen roared, _"We have to stop! The weather is too bad!"_

"_Where can we stop_?" Vancha snapped back, coughing as the freezing air filled his lungs, "_I can't see anything but white_!"

Gannen squinted, snow cutting his eyes agonizingly, "_Trees_!" he pointed forward towards a shadowed blotch on the horizon. It wouldn't be much shelter but they would be able to dig wind guards out of the deep snow that had already lain.

Vancha nodded and forced his mare forward, glad she accepted his order unlike Gannen's horse who had proved incredibly stubborn till it finally accepted the harsh weather. With his horse slightly under control, Gannen dropped back to the end of the group, pushing stragglers on and spreading the word that they were nearing shelter. That seemed to pick their frozen spirits up as they finally reached the slight protection of the trees.

Larten occasionally exhaled into the cape Darren was covered by, checking up on the boy whenever he himself required a little bit of warmth.

"_We are stopping, Darren. How are you feeling_?" Larten asked concerned for his younger assistant.

"_S-s-so cold,"_ Darren chattered, "_I can't feel my body_."

"_I will hand you down to Gavner or Arra and then we shall dig out a trench to sleep in tonight and tomorrow through the day, okay_?" Larten asked as he made to remove the cape.

"_N-no_," Darren moaned, wincing when he was exposed to the elements once more. Carefully, Larten lifted him from his horse and handed him to Gavner who set him down by the trunk of a tree.

Larten swung himself from his horse, tied him up then went about helping Arra and Gavner dig into the snow like every other vampire around them. Soon they had built a trench which sheltered them from the wind and the worst of the blizzard. Carefully, Darren curled up between Gavner and Larten, Arra to Larten's other side, capes covering their faces as they closed their eyes and attempted to sleep through the horrendous weather.

_**Later...**_

Dusk broke, the sun having set and the blizzard having past as Glalda's eyes rolled open and he gazed at the layer of snow above him. A swift fist saw an end to the most of it as he sat up and examined the area, seeing his men also breaking free of their wintery cocoons.

Shuddering from ice having fallen down his back, Glalda made his presence known to his men with a loud, wolfish howl, grinning bloodthirstily. He was glad of those humans they'd slain the previous night; the blood they had consumed had helped keep his body warm through the harsh winter weather.

A scout whom had been awake previously and left to survey the area struggled towards Glalda, knee deep in thick white snow.

"Lord Glalda?" he called; his breath frosty and very much visible to Glalda who stood to attention in a powerful and proud way, "We are only one mile from the lake. It's frozen solid, my Lord."

"What about Gannen?" Glalda nodded. They knew Gannen was on the move and also knew that he was with his brother whom had built the Resistance. Glalda's job was to extinguish the problem before they reached Vampire Mountain and he intended to do so before a second blizzard shook them.

The scout couldn't help but grin, "My Lord, Gannen is on the other side of the lake," Glalda's eyes twinkled with bloodlust. "and if you know what you're looking for you can smell vampires."

**_Meanwhile..._**

Arra's eyes flittered open, her porcelain cheeks blushing slightly when she spied Larten's face only centimetres from hers. Shifting slightly she realized they were covered by a blanket of snow, the dull light emitted through the ice telling the vampiress it was in fact late evening-dusk. She exhaled her breath over him, seeing the slightest smile on his frost bitten lips. "Good Evening," he mumbled, bleary eyes opening and in taking the serene beauty which Arra always expressed first thing in the evening.

"'Evening, your majesty," Arra teased, shuffling closer and laying her forehead against his, "Did you sleep well?"

"Aye," Larten smiled with a slight chuckle. Neither seemed to acknowledge the others morning breath or greasy hair as they laid as close to each other as they were. This was truly the best way to wake up first thing in the evening, Larten couldn't think of a better way. "Were you cold?"

"I was till you turned over; your breath was all I needed really," Arra whispered, sighing comfortably.

Larten nodded, tilting his head ever so slightly and pressing his lips against Arra's softly as a callous hand stroked her cheek lovingly, "Would you like to go for a walk? The snow has stopped and we may not have an opportunity to be alone later," he smiled when he saw Arra nod.

"Come on, Love," Arra said, carefully freeing herself from the snow that had set above them. Larten followed her lead, aware that Darren and Gavner were sound asleep behind him. Free of the snow and from the eyes of any of the other resistance members, the two held hands and went for a walk, relishing in each other's company and the opportunity to be alone to act as out of character as the two vampires wanted.

_**Later...**_

Vancha made swift orders for his men to hurry and prepare to continue the trek to Vampire Mountain. He didn't want them to linger, especially when he saw the black clouds creeping over the Mountains. In the distance the Prince could make out the peak of Vampire Mountain, pointing it out to his friends who grinned excitedly.

After walking a short distance the group came across the greatest expanse of water in the jurisdiction of Vampire Mountain. Thankfully, it was frozen solid however it was wide open with nowhere to duck and hide with they were to come under sudden attack. Furthermore they would be visible to the entire area; one hundred black figures marching on the snow sprinkled ice.

"Can't we go around?" Gannen asked.

"It would take far too long," Larten interjected, "The vampires in the mountain do not have time. We must make a move."

"Right. Gannen and I in front with the dud King, Larten in the middle with everyone else around him," Vancha nodded, taking control of the situation as he often did. Larten may have been the King but Vancha was the Prince, elected by his people to lead them and Larten never saw a point in opposing his governing.

However, Larten felt as though he was committing cowardice by hiding behind his fellows. Without complaining, he nestled himself between Arra and Gavner, smiling at his friends shyly. Darren walked in front of Larten, his sword drawn as he nervously followed Vancha and Gannen out upon the ice. It was slippery to the point that Darren was taking baby steps forward with Larten's hands on his shoulders as the pair struggled forwards.

_**Meanwhile, at the other side of the lake and waiting...**_

Glalda grinned as he watched from the cover of snow and fir trees a large group of people staggering out upon the lake, three or four with long red capes and all in armour. They were treading carefully, unsuspecting and so unaware that Glalda and his men were concealed from view, awaiting the optimum moment to strike.

Glalda's blood ran cold as his eyes picked out the purple face of the Former Lord Gannen and his treacherous Thought Police. Hatred brewed within the Vampaneze as by Gannen's side was the leader of the Resistance, Prince Vancha, the brothers. It was almost Shakespearean that Gannen was a Vampaneze and his brother was a vampire, separated by beliefs but tied by brotherhood. It was disgusting to Glalda that Gannen would choose Vancha over his clan.

The man who walked between the brothers made Glalda gasp loudly; the brightest of the red capes with a golden crown upon his head and a sword strapped to his back; the King!

Unaware that the real King was seven vampires away from the crowned man, head down to avoid attention and the real sword by his hip, Glalda whispered down to his men to focus their attention on that particular vampire. Gannen and Vancha could wait; their duty was to stop the King and thus prevent Tiny's prophecy coming true.

**Dun dun dun!**

**Run up to the battle scene; this is where sh*ts going to go down. Thought I should add a little bit of AxL there since the two have been somewhat flirty and snuggly towards each other the entire duration of this fic :L**

**I honestly can't believe how many reviews I've been blessed with :O Honestly; I've wanted to post a story on this site for so long. I was an Anonymous Viewer on many of these stories but I am so glad I finally plucked up the nuts to do this. Thank you all so much. Honestly, I am so so so so greatful. Words can't express it.**

**Heads up on the next chapter:**

**Fighting. Retreating. Decapitation. Injuries. Drowning. Tiger. Desolation.**

**that should be the order of events too :)**

**For anyone that cares I got a new Chilean Rose :D :D :D**

**I've been told its a he but I don't have a name for it yet. At the moment its being called 'baby boy' or 'leggy'. If you have any name suggestions please tell me! Honestly. Or the poor bugger will end up being called Fluffy 2 :'(**

**Preston :L**

**(Laughing face because my cat hates Leggy)**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

It took a very long time for the Resistance to get past the halfway mark of the lake, everyone having to resort to tiny baby steps to prevent slipping. However nearly everyone slipped at one point or another and soon it became a minor competition to stay upright, one in which Arra was winning easily as she surefootedly walked forward. Larten, too, was able to remain on his feet till Gavner slipped and pulled him down with him.

"Ow, Gavner, you clumsy oaf!" Larten groaned, rubbing the back of his head where it had collided with the hard ice floor.

"It was an accident," Gavner grumbled, rubbing his shoulder before slowly stabling himself back on his feet, offering Larten his hand.

Vancha couldn't help but smirk at his King, sliding as Arra and Gavner tried to get him on his feet whilst Gannen shook his head and laughed, patting his horse's neck as he walked beside it; the horses may have been coping with the ice unmanned but the vampires were shy to ride them for fear of mangling their legs if they did fall.

"Another ten minutes or so at this pace and we'll be on the other side," Vancha nodded, grasping his mare's mane tight as his own footing faltered. Luckily it seemed to go unnoticed by everyone but Gannen. "Fucking ice," he growled, patting his horse as an apology for pulling her hair ever so slightly.

"Sure. Blame the ice," Gannen laughed then stopped dead still, peering at the shrubbery a few yards before them. For the briefest of seconds he could have sworn he could see a purple face beneath the snow. He sniffed the air just in case, hand slowly moving towards his mace as he smelt the slightest scent of blood. "Do you smell that?"

"Vampaneze," Vancha snarled, hands slowly grasping the shuriken attached to a strap across his chest plate, "Shit."

"It's Glalda," Gannen also growled, "I can sense his aura. It's an ambush."

"We can't afford to lose anyone at such an early stage," Vancha nodded, "Should we give the order to retreat?" As if sensing the brothers indecisions over a possible course of action which would result in no casualties, the vampaneze broke from their shelter. "Vampaneze!" Vancha roared at the top of his voice, lobbing two stars which brought down one of the lead runners as Gannen tackled another to the floor, punching relentlessly before smashing his skull with the jagged mace he favoured.

Darren's eyes were wide at the speed in which the vampaneze crossed the ice towards them; studs in their shoes to make it easier to meet them on. He pulled out his small cutlass, looking at Arra and Gavner whom had pulled out their own weapons.

"Stay with Larten!" Arra growled to Darren as she swung her barbed rope out around the throat of a vampaneze, slamming him to the floor before leaping onto his back and wrestling him. Within seconds she had defeated him and began her bloodlustful search for a second brute to slay.

Gavner also was quick to attack, engaging in a fierce battle of knives and unfair kicks. Darren had never seen a battle of such calibre in his entire life and he couldn't believe how instinctively everyone reacted.

"Darren!" Larten roared, launching a knife into the jugular of a vampaneze whom had raised an axe with intentions of cracking it down on Darren's skull. Grasping his assistant's shoulders, Larten guided him through the fray, his second knife whirling around in his hand almost artfully as he sliced and chopped at anyone who strayed to close, "Stop daydreaming!"

A large built vampaneze leapt for Larten, clubbing the orange haired vampire on the back of the head as he scowled Darren, a curse escaping his lips as he crashed to the floor, smacking his forehead on the ice and cracking it open. Darren's mouth dropped open in horror, fear racketing through his body as the purpled coloured beast of a man kicked Larten onto his back and hovered his club above the dazed vampire.

"I thought the great Larten Crepsley was a warrior!" the vampaneze spat, spraying saliva over Larten as he gazed dully up at his attacker, "Weakling. Weakling. Weakling!" he sneered, pulling his club back and slamming it forward towards Larten.

Instinctively Darren intercepted the vampaneze with his sword, catching the club before throwing himself forward onto the man and catching his throat with the side of his blade. "_**Mess with Larten and you mess with me**_!" the half vampire sneered through his gritted teeth as the vampaneze staggered backwards before falling to the floor. Turning to his mentor, Darren could see the shock in his eyes. "You okay?"

"Aye," Larten laughed slightly, accepting his apprentice's hand to his feet before lunging himself back into battle, using the knives he favoured as opposed to the sword he had been gifted by destiny.

**_Meanwhile..._**

Vancha snapped the neck of his first vampaneze, groaning at the effort that one foe had taken. He cast his eyes around quickly to study the carnage; there was at least four vampaneze to each vampire, the Resistance suffering the most loses as they became over whelmed by the ambush. One swift nod from Gannen confirmed exactly what he was thinking, "**RETREAT!****"**

Instantly the vampires responded to the order, hurriedly pulling back from whomever they were fighting against, abandoning their horses and supplies as they retraced their steps back towards where they had come.

Gannen plunged his sword into the vampaneze he had been sparring and went to follow his brother and the rest of the Resistance when a bearded, bloodthirsty man grinned across the bloody battlefield.

"Lord Gannen," Glalda sneered, bowing spitefully before pulling his twin-headed sword from its sheath, "You and I," he pointed the apex of his blade over at the headless body of who had been the dud king, "Unless you are afraid to be beaten by a true Vampaneze."

Gannen smirked, "Have your men retreat and we shall spar," The dud King had been Gannen's idea and was glad it had done its job. Though he hadn't seen Larten during the fight, the former Thought Police Lord was more than certain that he was still alive.

Glalda looked at his men and whistled for them to do as Gannen wished, leaving the two on the ice, weapons tight in their hands as the blood of the deep seeped and spread into the ice they stood. A sharp breeze ruffled Gannen's ragged cape as he wiped blood from his forehead and bared his teeth menacingly. Similarly Glalda took on a defensive stance, twin headed sword held in his bent forearms, ready for Gannen's attack.

_**Meanwhile...**_

Vancha watched Glalda furiously, eyes pleading to be by his brother's side to help defeat the scoundrel that was Glalda. However, as Gavner grabbed the Prince's shoulder, Vancha continued to reverse back towards the shoreline, eyes never leaving the fight. It would be a great disgrace on Gannen's behalf if Vancha involved himself in these rivals duel and so reframed from interfering though with his heart and soul he longed to join the two-man battle.

Gannen slammed his sword down upon Glalda's as he parried and swiped the blade away, nicking Gannen in the side before he could block. Within seconds, Gannen retaliated and caught Glalda's shoulder with a smooth stroke which Glalda had been too slow to counter before repeating and catching Glalda's ear.

Glalda roared furiously, dropping back and grabbing at the bleeding gash that had once been his ear whilst Gannen grinned triumphantly, "Glalda, you foo-ARGH!" Gannen suddenly screamed in complete agony, dropping to the floor as his calves were sliced open by Glalda's sword, blood gushing from his useless legs. As he crashed to the floor the ice gave an almighty crack and an angry groan as such heavy movement from the battle began to take its toll.

Gavner grabbed Vancha tight, holding him back as the brother desperately tried to run back to his losing brother.

"Let me go!" Vancha roared furiously, biting Gavner's flesh in a frantic attempt to save Gannen from Glalda as the earless vampaneze staggered to his feet and laughed wickedly, the vampaneze behind him cheering loudly and booing Gannen as he snaked around on the ice.

"Sire, that's suicide!" Gavner groaned, Arra and Darren joining him to help prevent Vancha charging out on to the ice. Everyone could hear how painfully weak the ice was becoming; if Glalda didn't kill Gannen then the deadly cold waters below would. "I can't let you go out there."

"Aye," Arra growled as she and Darren grabbed his thrashing legs, accidently tripping the Prince up and instantly leaping on his back. Even the great Prince Vancha couldn't kick off the three vampires who sat with their full weight on his back, several other Resistance members holding down his legs and arms as Vancha spat curses then began to almost sob for his brother. Larten scratched his scar worriedly as he watched Gannen then Vancha then back to Gannen again as he laid on the ice, bleeding violently whilst Glalda appeared to almost play with him, prodding him rather than slicing him with his sword, enjoying his former fellow Lord's agony. Vancha had started sobbing, Arra trying her best to comfort him whilst the others prevented him from committing false heroics. It was heart breaking that he was being prevented from helping Gannen.

Larten's mind wondered back to his first encounter with the Lord of the Thought Police….

_"Prince Vancha?" he called, "Might I ask why there are Vampaneze running around so playfully and no one is worrying?"_

_Vancha snapped round but with a large grin on his face. Gannen looked up and, also, grinned wildly. The similarity in facial structure was uncanny that Larten could tell the two had to be from the same stem._

_"This must be Mr Larten Crepsley," Gannen smiled standing and extending his hand._

_Larten didn't take it but glared at the purple skinned man; he had been in trouble several times by the Thought Police for free thinking and voicing his thoughts to the others in the tunnel. Many nights Larten had been punished by the hands of Gannen and his men; waterboarding, solitary confinement, forced to remain awake for days, lengthy dips in ice cold water which, despite his vampire blood, froze him to the soul. To hell would Larten shake this man's hand. This man was evil, a disgusting being with disgusting virtues._

_"Larten," Vancha frowned, "Wont you shake my brother's hand?" Brothers? Larten could definitely see some similarities in both body and facial structure though he hadn't realized they were so closely related. Odd to have a vampaneze brother when one was in fact a vampire._

_"Larten?" Vancha growled now. He was slightly red and embarrassed that one of his people would not shake the hand of his brother, a man who had helped the Resistance in many ways._

_"No, sire. I refuse to shake the hand that has beaten me, in a friendly manner. Please forgive me, my Prince, but I would sooner be beheaded." Larten spat, eyes never leaving the Lord of the Thought Police. That was another thing Larten hated about the vampaneze; how their leaders and important men were all Lords of some description. None deserved such a hallow title._

Larten couldn't believe just how cold he had been to Gannen when he first was introduced outside of work. True he had tortured Larten and his friends but in some respects Gannen had made up for his criminal deeds in how he had turned his back on his own race to aid another. Perhaps there was a justification for the atrocities in which Gannen and his men had committed. Forever Larten would hate the vampaneze for everything they did to he and his people but Larten could forgive those who now ran with them for they, perhaps not intentionally, had merged and united with their vampire cousins and created a union of peace between the two clans.

_"That was faster that time," Larten nodded when he jogged back to the starting line._

_"Definitely," Gannen nodded, "Your legs were starting to blur slightly." The vampaneze scratched his head thoughtfully, "Let's try and get the stabilizers off you now. I will begin to flit but I will push you along with me, if you don't mind the contact?"_

_"Aye," Larten nodded eagerly, "but only if you promise not to let go before I say, okay?"_

_"As you wish, your Majesty," Gannen nodded standing behind Larten with his hand hovering above the small of his back. "On the count of three run as fast as you can and I will follow, okay?"_

_"Aye," Larten nodded, "One. Two. Three!" he shot off at a supernatural speed, Gannen smiling and following, hand hovering but not touching the vampire's back._

_"I'm about to flit, Larten," Gannen nodded, noticing the vampire copied and began to build up an even greater speed. "That's it! Keep going Larten!"_

_Larten didn't even feel out of breath as he exhilarated further, the world starting to blur around them as Larten successfully flitted, "You can take off your hand," the vampire grinned as they flitted together through the countryside, travelling northwards where snow was starting to fall._

_Gannen smirked, hands having been nowhere near Larten through the entire process, "Aye, Sire," he shouted over the wind as the pair back tracked and ran towards the camp._

Watching Glalda with pure hatred, Larten unsheathed his sword.

"Mr Crepsley?" Darren called suspiciously as he watched his mentor lower himself into a running stance. At Larten's titled, Gavner and Arra looked up, Vancha thrashing below them once more.

"Larten, stay," Arra snarled as Larten rocked backwards and forwards, ready to shoot off. "Don't you dare." He continued to ignore her icy tone, eyes set out on Glalda. "If you dare go out there I will never fuck you again," Darren didn't even blink at that; everyone knew Larten and Arra were more than cuddly towards each other the instant the world turned their backs on them.

"Larten, no," Gavner joined in softly before roaring as the orange haired vampire blitzed forward, "**LARTEN**!"

**_Meanwhile..._**

"You are such a fool," Glalda sneered, "Did you honestly think you could beat the Vampaneze? Did you?" he stomped on Gannen's groin, the Resistance commander roaring and vomiting slightly in complete and utter pain. "You are pathetic; absolutely pathetic. You don't deserved to go anywhere but the lake of Souls when you die," Gannen coughed up blood as Glalda's sword drove straight down through his stomach, a torrent of red pouring from his quaking body. "Any last words, cur?"

Gannen's eyes dizzily focused on Glalda as a weak sneer swept across his whitening lips, "You-you will never… take the Vampire Spirit," he rasped, laughing at Glalda's shocked expression; he hadn't expected Gannen to quote Mika Ver Leth, " We will… always resist…. We will always fight. We will never surrender!"

"Fool!" Glalda roared, pulling his sword from Gannen's stomach at an immense speed that blood sprayed from the gaping hole in Gannen's body, soaking Glalda's legs and waist. "You will be beheaded for th-" an almighty crash sounded as the King's sword caught Glalda's on a downward stroke above Gannen's neck. "Crepsley," Glalda spat, muscles quaking at the strength it was taking to not have his sword thrown backwards as Larten rose to his feet and shifted Glalda's arm.

"King Crepsley to you," Larten sneered, stepping over Gannen and pushing Glalda back as he stared at the orange haired vampire in complete horror, eyes catching the haunting words running along Larten's sword; _"We will always resist. We will always fight. We will never surrender."_

"You're the King?" Glalda shouted, his words echoing through the entire forest as realisation dawned; he and his men had been tricked badly. Furiously, he slammed his sword into Larten's side, colliding with the metal of his armour and sending him flying. Within seconds he was back on his feet and swiping Glalda with his own sword, landing a few nasty nicks before dropping and rolling to miss a low blow before struggling to his feet on the ice and going for Glalda once more.

"Fuck this!" Glalda roared, attention back to Gannen as he raised his sword and swiftly brought it down onto Gannen's throat, cutting clean and severing his head…

"_I would make that choice any day_," Larten growled angrily, "_You are a monster. Your men are monsters! When our King has been located I swear, by the blood of Arrow, I will inform him of your criminal deeds. __**Your head will roll, Gannen Hurst, and I will be right there when it happens**_,"

…Larten's eyes were wide as he lay on the ice, completely horrified as Gannen's lifeless head rolled slightly on the ice. Across the lake he could hear Vancha howling like a wolf in complete hurt; the death of a brother so dear and so loyal proving too much for the Prince as he wept.

Glalda laughed wickedly at the death of the former Lord before turning his head towards the speechless Larten, "Such a pity, aye Sire?" he sneered viciously as he pulled his blade from the ice, not noticing the cracks that suddenly creaked below them. "Such an almighty pity when such a loyal man dies for the lives of subhuman dogs." With every step the large vampaneze took the ice groaned, "Want my advice, Larty? I think you and that slut Arra should just leave this continent and run away together. Forget about rebellion."

Larten's eyes narrowed slightly at how close Glalda was coming, not flinching but rather becoming far more alert to his body language. As the ice continued to weaken, Larten's mind began to formulate a somewhat suicidal plan, "How do you know of Arra and I?" he growled, tightening his grip on his sword.

"She use to cry your name when we fucked in the kitchen," Glalda laughed at the sudden burst of flames in Larten's eyes, "She never told you? Well let me fill you into mine and her's little dirty secret," he leant in close to Larten's ear as he whispered with words like venom to the vampire's blood stream, "I used to get her good and proper in the larder all the time, sometime twice a day. She was amazing; nice and tight and she could give a good blow job when I want-"Larten's sword slammed through the ice, making Glalda laugh loudly. "You missed! I'm right in front of you and you missed!"

"Let me fill you in on my dirty little secret," Larten hissed as he pulled his blade from the ice, the cracks becoming huge crevasses around them, Glalda's eyes wide in horror, "We are about to drown and believe me," he grabbed Glalda's throat and squeezed it tight, "If we ever meet in the lake of Souls I will torment your spirit for eternity for touching Arra with your filthy sin ridden hands. How dare you soil her with your debauchery!"

With that, the ice snapped and Glalda and Larten plunged into the freezing depths of the lake as both parties on either side watched in horror as the two dropped amidst the ice.

**Dun dun dun :O**

**So I think I got "**Fighting, Retreating, Decapitation, Injuries and Drowning in that chapter -Tiger and Desolation in the next chapter me thinks.****

****Please tell me what you think of that in your reviews; I wasn't too sure if there was enough fighting or description or whatever. All I know is it's taken bloody ages :L****

****Thank you all, once more, so so so much for all your reviews. I honestly can't believe I'm almost at 130 :O seems so weird! I'm actually at TITP this weekend (Pendulim and Twin Atlantic were wow :O Brandon Flowers tomorrow (I actually love him!), MCR and All Time Low tomorrow too! Coldplay tonight which will be actually amazing!****

****Here we, here we, here we fucking go!****

****Preston 8D****

****(wide eyed smilie because I've barely been sober to post this!)****

****Chris Martin, here we, here we, here we fucking go!****


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

Arra stared at the lake in complete horror, unsure what to think. Her eyes caught Gavner's moist cheeks, his hands firmly pulling at his short brown hair as he seemed to mouth the same words over and over again; 'Oh no. Oh no,'

Darren had dropped to his knees, mouth and eyes wide as he stared at the ice and prayed for a miracle; Larten would break through the ice and lead them onward after saying something cheeky no doubt. The boy stood when he saw Gavner begin to break up, throwing his arms tight around the older vampire as a sob erupted through his entire body. "It's okay," Darren soothed though his own voice was starting to croak in emotion as the minutes turned into hours in what felt like seconds with no sign of Larten or Glalda.

"His name was Larten Crepsley," Vancha cried, beginning the orange haired vampire's eulogy.

"Oh no," Gavner wept, looking up at Vancha pleadingly, "Sire it has only been a few minutes,"

"Gavner it's been three hours," Arra corrected promptly as she gazed dully out upon the re-freezing lake. Nothing seemed real anymore, it was like a bad dream that she hoped to wake up from promptly and then forget.

"He died in battle. Even in Death may he be triumphant," Vancha continued as the Resistance repeated each word, "His name was Gannen Hurst. He died in battle. Even in death may he be triumphant," there was an obvious croak in his voice as he recited the final eulogy though it seemed unnoticeable to the men for Arra tuned in on it like a radar. She turned to Vancha who looked equally as lost as she did and smiled reassuringly to him that she, too, felt like he did. "What next, Sire?"

"We need to continue onwards. We shall have to go around the lake but it needs to be done. We've lost our King and my brother so forgive me if I'm not optimistic about us winning," Vancha muttered as he began walking ahead, not wanting to linger, the Resistance following his steps. Gavner croaked and followed onwards though he couldn't prevent the tears pouring from his eyes or the crumbled smile on his face as he wept for his best friend to return to them.

Arra sighed and followed back in at the end, her mind blank completely. When she was alone she allowed herself to express a single tear, holding back the flood, for she knew that that was all Larten would ever want to see from her.

_**Meanwhile…**_

News of Glalda's fall had shaken the Mountain but when King Larten Crepsley's death was announced the entire Hall of Lords was in uproar, a beastly celebration ensuing which led to hundreds of sore heads that following morning.

Not all the Vampaneze ran straight to the Beer Hall however.

Lord Kurda was glad of the time alone, slumping into his arm chair with an immovably stupid smirk on his chops. They'd killed the King….

He hadn't imagined that Larten would have been the King. He had been trouble in the Tunnels and frequently his name would be complained to him for frequent offenses but Kurda didn't have the heart to severely punish Larten; he was a dear old friend even if their political views clashed…

_"New kid, come and drink with us!" Larten grinned, Gavner Purl and Arra Sails beside him, smiling. Kurda rubbed his shoulder shyly. This was his first Council and he hadn't ever felt this nervous in his entire life. His mentor had left him to mingle but he was struggling to do so; Kurda wasn't arrogant but he felt his way of thinking was far different to that of the others; brains over brawn was his motto though it conflicted with the entire vampire persona. Still, when he recognized Seba Nile's assistant as the man whom had led he and his mentor to their various chambers, Kurda couldn't help but nod._

_"Thank you," Kurda sighed in relief, "I'm so nervous."_

_"We thought you looked a little lost," Arra smiled, handing him a mug of ale. She seemed lovely, Kurda decided, it was rare to find a female vampire and from the stories he'd heard of the few women here he had expected a heavy and aggressive she-man sort of creature. She seemed the opposite to that stereo type and was rather pretty, for a vampire anyway._

_"Aye," Gavner grinned and slapped his shoulder, "Where're you from anyway?" he asked, "With a name like Smahlt I'd have thought you were Hebrew,"_

_"I think am on my father's side somewhere far back," Kurda nodded, sipping his ale carefully; it tasted foul and he didn't think much of the mess it made of the vampires in the Mountain, "I'm from Europe,"_

_"That is what I like to here," Larten smiled welcomingly, "I am from England. Gav is from Oz and Arra from America. Nice to meet you," he stuck his hand out to Kurda, a hand of friendship which Kurda was grateful to have received. He knew at that moment he was going to be okay in the mountain now that he had acquainted himself with a group of friendly faces…._

Kurda felt weak for the tears he shed. It wasn't until those personal hours when he was alone that he felt guilt for his actions, for the lives he'd seen the death of and for the friendships he had broken. He may have always seemed to fall out with Arra, Larten had left to travel and see the world and Gavner had General duties which compelled him to have to move around a lot, the four always felt comfortable in each other's presence. Kurda laughed as he remembered when Gavner had come back after seven years on a hard mission and the four got stupidly drunk and went swimming. Everything felt so natural as though there had never been a distance between the friends. Arra seemed to forget her and Kurda's recent argument and Larten and Gavner wrestled playfully.

"What have I done?" Kurda asked himself as he buried his head into his hands and let out a soft sob, Larten's welcoming, smiling face hunting him for his sins.

_**Meanwhile...**_

Lord Leopard grinned wildly, two sober body guards following his every step as he marched to the Hall of Death. He could hear the low crying of his victims sobbing in both fear and confusion; they had been swiped under Steve's orders from their home miles and miles away, kidnapped and brought into the mountain where they hung against the wall by chains which could restrain the strongest of vampires.

The guards crossed themselves as they entered the dreaded room, hanging their heads when they saw the three young adults quaking at the sight of Steve.

"Allen, Tommy and Annie, how are you this fine night?" Steve smiled wickedly as he sat on the floor before his and Darren's friends.

"Steve what's wrong with you?" Tommy growled, his shackles jingling as he shifted his pained joints, "Why are you doing this to us?"

"Can an old friend not speak to his mates without being questioned?" Steve sneered as Allen and Annie stared at him with complete terror. Annie looked so much older, in her mid-thirties now, a few grey hairs amidst her dark locks and a tired look in her eyes; she had the beginnings of wrinkles on her forehead and her lips looked dry and cracked. Tommy and Allan had aged slightly better. Tommy was a million pound goal keeper now, living a luxurious life when not training for football. Allan was a scientist studying genetics and cloning and also a successful author having published several award winning reports into zoology and animal genetics. Both boys were in great shape still, though they were in their forties and had lives of their own.

"Let us down, Steve," Allan said for the hundredth time, "It's not like we can run away! We don't know where we even are,"

Steve laughed at that and shook his head, "I'm in a good mood tonight so you're going to be moved into cells. But if you don't behave then you're on your arses." With that, the silver haired Lord bowed to his friends and made his way to join the celebrations. Darren had no idea what was ahead of him when he and the Resistance attacked, Steve smirked. How he did love a little bit of theatre.

**_Meanwhile..._**

Vanez Blane staggered through the Ghetto Hall; his balance deserted him along with his strength and pride. He felt ill constantly, suffering from terrible Typhoid which had resulted in a red tail stain on the back of his trousers, a sight which was common to all the vampires who were still holding on to life. Holding on…

Vanez prayed to the gods for the day his body would finally let go and let him die. It was what he wanted, he hated this weakened hopeless life he and the others were living. It was a sad existence that he pitied himself for living.

As he turned into the common room where he found all seventy survivors, sat on the seats around a small fire which burned on a few lumps of coal they had smuggled from the digging tunnels. Often they would meet like this, exchange stories and dreams, share rations and help repair clothes. It was in these moments that the vampires forgot their over bearing hunger and fear and recalled better times.

"_Cause I remember when we used to sit in the government yard in Trenchtown. Oba, ob-serving the hypocrites. As they would mingle with the good people we meet. Good friends we have had, oh good friends we've lostalong the way. In this bright future you can't forget your past so dry your tears I say."_ The vampires sung to each other, shy smiles on their faces as they attempted to block out the smells and sounds of the party the vampaneze were having. Human songs of hardships were forever sung by the vampires in a bid to make them feel a little better and like a large family. "_No woman, no cry. No woman, no cry. Little darlin' don't shed no tears. No woman, no cry,"_

Kurda walked down the corridor of the Ghetto halls, unprotected and alone with no weapons, tears in his eyes as he heard his people singing almost joyfully. He gulped before entering the cramped, warm, smoking room as his people sung their hearts out. A few vampires looked up at him and passed him a slight smile; he was a traitor and evil but a vampire none the less. Wordlessly, crying like a baby, Kurda removed the bag from his shoulders and laid the loaves of bread, chicken breasts and fresh fruit before them all before making his leave till a bony had grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back in.

"Vanez, I am sorry, my brother," Kurda wept as the dirty eyeless vampire pulled him against his bony chest, "I don't expect to be forgiven but I will start bringing you food. I swear by the Gods."

"Join us, Sire. Tonight is a night that we need every vampire voice we can to block out the sounds of the vampaneze celebrations." Vanez nodded, leading him back into the room as the vampires continued to sing;

"_Said, said, said I remember when we used to sit in the government yard in Trenchtown. And then Georgie would make the fire light. Log wood burnin' through the night then we would cook corn meal porridge of which I'll share with you._

_My feet is my only carriage so I've got to push on through but while I'm gone..._

_Ev'rything's gonna be alright. Ev'rything's gonna be alright. Ev'rything's gonna be alright. Ev'rything's gonna be alright. Ev'rything's gonna be alright. Ev'rything's gonna be alright. Ev'rything's gonna be alright. Ev'rything's gonna be alright._

_No woman, no cry. No woman, no cry. Little darlin' don't shed no tears. No woman, no cry. No woman, no cry. No woman, no cry. Little darlin' don't shed no tears. No woman, no cry,"_

Once the singing was over Kurda's food was dished out to everyone, laughing and joking with each other and retelling stories of Prince Paris, Larten Crepsley and his reckless adventures, Petra Vin Grahl and Kurda was present for them all, smiling and joking with his kind for a night that he wished would never end.

**Thought I'd give Kurda a break :L Felt sorry for him.**

**Not got a huge time to write an author's note but thanks for the reviews! :)**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

The Resistance's morale was at an all-time low as they marched into a village just before the Mountain. It was safe to say that this was more than likely to be Fane's village; the streets were littered with decomposing corpses which not only stank but had been attacked and chewed on by some manner of beast.

The vampires and vampaneze hung their heads as they passed through, guiltily entering the bloodied houses and rummaging for food, fresh water, vodka for antiseptics, new clothes and medical supplies. Once that was acquired the group didn't linger for long and cast the village a quick prayer before re-entering the woods.

Vancha seemed to fold in on himself, not giving anyone more than a few grunts and grumbles. His mind wasn't on the task in hand but his brother, poor Gannen. All he could see was the Vampaneze' head rolling across the ice; his body weeping blood onto the ice cold floor before being devoured by the lake. Vancha was more than certain, however, that his brother had passed on to Paradise. The water had been moving; a large stream had fed into it before running down into several frozen tributaries. In a way, Vancha felt slightly better by that prospect; his brother would be at peace with those he'd held dear, waiting for Vancha to join him one day.

Still, Vancha slept away from the others, howling like a wolf as he grieved.

A second party chose to camp further away from everyone else also, speaking in soft voices and with saddened tones as they told stories of their lost comrade.

Darren had laid out on the ground, staring longingly at the fire as he thought of his lost mentor, his father in many respects and his best friend. "I remember one time when he was watching me trying to pick apples from a tree, Mr Crepsley laughed and said "_Youth these days. When I was a boy my brothers and I would climb the local farmer's trees and steal all of the best fruit. When he caught you, you would be beaten silly. I believe I still have the scar on my backside from the dreaded slipper my father slapped me with when the farmer brought me home!"_ and as he was boasting the branch snapped under him and he hit his head on the floor," Darren smiled sadly as Arra and Gavner laughed, "Then like seven apples fell and hit him. I almost wet myself it was that funny."

Gavner grinned, leaning back against a large rock which acted as a wall to provide the group shelter from the wind. In his hands was a guitar which he had snatched from one of the houses, idly strumming the strings as he thought of his own Larten story to tell the group.

"I have one," Arra laughed, "He'd kill me for telling you," she grinned.

"Go on then," Gavner applauded, laughing already whilst Darren also looked on with eagerness.

"Well," Arra giggled herself, "We had only just started seeing each other in a more intimate. This was about a good hundred or so years ago," She blushed brightly, "As you know, Larten was always a ladies man-"

"**_No way!_**" Darren gasped before roaring with laughter, "Mr Crepsley?"

"Aye," Gavner grinned, "Larten was a bit of a player in his youth. He liked a little bit of skirt now and again. Few ladies turned down the Crepsley charm too,"

"Seriously?" Darren looked at Arra, "What's so attractive about _him_?"

"He's a sleaze and tells women what they want to hear. I remember, when we were in Paris, he told this girl he was a doctor and his father was a wealthy merchant from Venice whilst his mother was a Duchess of Cambridge," Arra said as she shook her head, "Funny thing is she fell for it, married him then dumped him when she found out he was a vampire. Gods knows what she'd have done if she'd heard that he wasn't a doctor and went to the casino instead to gamble a fortune every day,"

Darren was holding his sides as he laughed. He'd never heard of his mentor acting so…rebellious and un-Larten like. He almost reminded Darren of Steve, recalling the wild things the little leopard would get himself caught in.

"Anyway, back to my story," Arra grinned, "Larten was arrogant when it came to 'affairs of the coffin'," Gavner laughed at her euphemism, "I was _'innocent'_ before Larten and a lot more shy than he was. After I think it was our third date he seemed to think he was allowed to be very flirtatious and suggestive towards me, like some form of unwritten rule. When I told him I wasn't up for anything past a kiss because I was still pure, he actually said, "_I do not mind waiting. You have got nothing that I have never had so I can be patient,_" then he tried to kiss me a little bit more passionately than I wanted. When I pulled away he actually said, "_Darling just look into my beautiful eyes and go with the flow, I will be very gentle",_"

Gavner howled with laughter, "He never did!"

"Aye," Arra grinned, "He thought so much of himself. I laughed, patted his head, then went to my coffin, alone,"

"I couldn't imagine Mr Crepsley having been like that," Darren smiled, wiping the happy tears from his eyes after having been in hysterics, "He was always so serious and moody and bashful."

Gavner grinned, "Larten went through a stage in his life where he was something of a sex God but he was still easily embarrassed. Arra laughing at him would have knocked his confidence terribly," Arra nodded in agreement, "You wouldn't find another vampire like him; if he told the generals to jump we would almost certainly do it despite the fact he had no real power to make us."

Arra smiled, "He was some guy," she sighed, everyone's eyes falling to the floor in sadness. Gavner strummed his guitar mindlessly till Arra spoke again, "Play Larten's songs," she smiled as Darren's eyes watered.

Gavner thought hard for a moment, "I know what song you both would like!" He strummed a few strings to a song Darren seemed to recall, though barely. He could imagine himself back in Steve's bedroom, a cd player blaring one of his heavier bands whilst hey attempted their homework for a bit before reading comics. Gavner grinned at Arra's discomfort as he began to sing loudly, "_There can be no better way of knowing in a world beyond controlling. Are you gonna deny the savior, in front of your eyes? Stare into the night! Power beyond containing. Are you going to remain a slave for the rest of your life? Give into the niiiiiiiiiiiight_!" He laughed loudly.

"You're such a dick," Arra said bluntly, a slight smile on her lips as she remembered how Gavner had pestered and pestered her, Larten and Kurda to go to some rock concert for his 'birthday' –he had no idea how old he was or what day he was actually born on and so randomly decided that the fourth of July was his birthday. It had been great to catch up with the boys, especially Larten. After many beers and a lot of dancing, she and Larten found each other's lips once more and had a very public make-out session which saw them in a toilet cubical rekindling old flames. It had been very unlike both of them but at the time they didn't seem to mind. Of course, the coward he was, Larten had bid Gavner a quick farewell before flitting away, leaving Arra to explain her sweaty, panting expression, bruise littered skin, creased clothes and kiss swollen lips.

"Play a nicer song, one that Larten would appreciate," Arra laughed as she and Gavner both seemed to recall the same memory, sharing a happy sort of look as they recalled their adventures together.

Gavner strummed the guitar softly before he started to sing softly, "I'm coming home. I'm coming home. Tell the World I'm coming home. Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday. I know my kingdom awaits and they've forgiven my mistakes. I'm coming home, I'm coming home. Tell the World that I'm coming,"

Darren seemed to cry a little at that, Arra laying down behind him and holding his shaking body to hers. Larten was gone but Darren was still here, the legacy of Larten Crepsley pulsing though the boy's veins as Arra mothered him, joining Gavner's saddened song, "I'm coming home. I'm coming home. Tell the World I'm coming home,"

_**A good amount of miles away...**_

"_Tell the World I'm coming home. Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday. I know my kingdom awaits and they've forgiven my mistakes,"_

Bleary eyes opened unfocusedly, greeted by the endless expanse of snow which he seemed to be being dragged over despite the fact his legs were numb. On either side of his pulsing head he could see thick orange furred paws, pressing through the snow and effortlessly dragging his sore, freezing, bruised body. A horrid smell of decomposing breath seemed thick around him; it was both welcoming and stomach turning for it was warm against his saturated hair. A sharp pain flared in the back of his neck, something had a hold of his neck and was literally pulling him by the scruff of his pale neck.

Where am I? He though groggily, vomiting up freezing water which had been blocking his airwaves and making every breath he drew unbearably cold. The sun seemed to almost burn his skin. Why does it hurt? He shuddered violently.

The beast, whom held his neck as though carrying a cub, gave a low growl but its pace never once halted as it carried the man onwards, a light sprinkle of snow starting to fall over the mountain…

**Dun dun dun :)**

**Sorry about the abrupt note on the previous chapter; had to leave quickly for work but wanted to have it up reguardless.**

**So this chapter's basically what's happening for the Resistance whilst the Vampaneze celebrate their win (or have they won? *points to last few paragraphs of chapter*) **

**I've already managed to get half way through Chapter thirty but I think I may take a break and focus on Amelia333's summer contest (Again, if you haven't looked at it I think you should; it'll be a good laugh more than anything :) though I'm easily distracted so I'll try to have it up before Monday, Scottish GMT :L.**

**Another quick note; T in the Park. Was. The maze! :O It was honestly fantastic!**

**A second quick note; someone (you know who you are :L) asked me if i had a Scottish accent which I thought was a little weird because I don't have an accent it's just that the rest of the world speaks strange -that's my theory anyway! For that person and anyone else who is interested, Youtube a band called The View and their song Grace. They're from the same neck of the woods as I am and sadly that is my accent -.-**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty**

"Urgh,"

Larten hadn't felt this cold since he and Arra leapt into the currents of Vampire Mountain to escape from the Vampaneze tyranny. His chest was numb and his toes and fingers were nipping painfully. Slowly, the vampire stared at his appendages and gasped; he was turning blue!

Groaning, the aching vampire sat up and peeled off his chest plate, throwing it to the side as best he could. He had to worm around on the floor to remove the heavy metal vest before wriggling out of an under vest. The cold air nipped his toned chest, his nipples hardening painfully as he crossed his hairy goosebump-covered arms and shuddered violently, "Oh Gods." His teeth chattered loudly; his thighs starting to really hurt under his saturated trousers. "Arra?" he croaked as his blue fingers met his freezing belt buckle. When he heard no reply he unzipped himself and tugged off him trousers, quaking with cold as his painfully frozen skin touched the cave floor.

**_A cave…_**

Why was he in a cave?

Larten remembered only falling into the lake with Glalda's hand tight around his throat, strangling him of every last breath. How dare he touch Arra, Larten felt his blood boil at the thought, though what angered him the most was that she hadn't told him. All those years they'd been in a room together and she hadn't thought that he and Gavner deserved to know? Who did she think she was? They were in it together! He was her Ex! They told each other every fucking thing!

A sudden flash of pain erupted from the back of his neck; a nippy feeling which was worsened by his shuddering state. A hand slowly stretched up to examine the skin; just a little sore, no cuts or bruises, just heated flesh that felt as though it had been stretched by something.

Larten's eyes widened at as a flashback ensued…

_He tried to break the surface but Glalda pulled him down, snatching his foot and trying to climb up his body to make the surface. With a tight grip of the sword, Larten swam downwards at a furious speed till he felt the tip of his sword contact something fleshy, a scream which was muffled by the water sounding loudly in his logged ears. He tried to kick to the surface, his body weakening as every second passed him. Desperate for air, Larten inhaled underwater and choked; he panicked and spluttered as water gushed up his nose and down into his lungs. His body contorted under the surface, he grew disorientated as his eyes stung in the black cold water. The currant of the lake started to overwhelm the vampire, he found himself struggling to fight unconsciousness as he failed to find his bearings. Glalda was dead, his sins against Arra Sails would forever see him trapped in the lake of Souls. _

_Larten felt drowsy, his arms so numb they became limp at his side. He knew he was drowning and was too weakened to beat it. As the world went dark he focused his mind on a dream he had had long ago; Christmas in his old home with his mother, father, Vur and his many brothers and sisters but with Arra, Gavner, Darren, Seba and Wester chapping on the door with the biggest turkey imaginable and presents for everyone…._

…_Snow. Something was dragging him over snow. He could feel its teeth digging into the scruff of his neck. Either side of Larten's head were thick orange furred legs, speckled with black stripes, or massive red paws which sunk deep within the snow…._

_Larten woke through the day, shivering and blubbering random nonsense as the cold brought on hallucinations. He struggled to stay still, tossing and turning breathlessly, his eyes catching sight of the biggest beast he had ever seen; a shadowy black feline outline with two of the brightest green eyes Larten had ever witnessed. "M-m-m-m-monstaaaar!" Larten accused, groaning loudly as he vomited all over himself. He hadn't felt that feverish since his first patch of Vampire flue. The beast looked at him worriedly almost. It stood on it's large, muscular legs and pawed towards him "Monstaar!" Larten roared once more, fighting the beast as best he could as the red and black beast dropped on top of him, its fur burning hot against Larten's freezing body…._

"Hello?" Larten croaked worriedly as he sat naked upon the cave, shuddering. Why had this beast fished him from the lake and dragged him all the way back to its den? Rolling onto his feet, Larten stood, hunched over due to the very low ceiling. He could see the carcass of some decaying animal in the far corner of the room and he could also see clots of white fur sprinkled around on the floor, a few clumps sticking to his face. He peeled them off and sighed when he realized he was alone once more. At least if the Tiger had been here then there would have been something or someone to talk to, rather than to just sit around a cave and-

A growl caught Larten's attention; he twisted to the entrance and gasped. He had been prepared for the large beast to return but still he couldn't believe the sheer size of the blazing orange beast, it's intense green eyes gouging straight into his. It placed a paw towards Larten, causing the vampire to take a step backwards.

A moment seemed to pass as they continued to stare each other out, neither party blinking and just studying the other.

"Thank you," Larten sighed and averted his eyes to the wall, allowing the tiger to win the stare out.

The beast snorted, barking a reply with a hoarse roar before picking up a dead rabbit that it'd brought back, dropping it a few yards ahead of Larten before plodding over to the side wall and laying down, licking clean its paws.

Studying the beast, Larten realized that it meant to feed him the rabbit. It wasn't wise to turn down a gift from such a lethal creature. Without a second's thought, the vampire began ripping into the rabbit with his teeth, eating like an animal would, his hunger great and his need obvious. The blood, though animal, warmed his body almost instantly and already he could feel the benefits of the meat and fibre. All the while the tiger watched him eat with a dull, satisfied gaze.

Once finished, Larten sat back against the opposite wall and looked at the beast curiously. Instantly, he noted that the beast was in fact a he, blushing slightly that that had been his first observation. Secondly he noticed that this was a different tiger from the one they had crossed paths before with. He was bigger, broader, with a feral glare in his eyes, the likes of which Larten could empathise with; this beast had a temper like Larten and for that reason he felt slightly more relaxed to lay in its presence.

Time passed as they both laid down, staring at each other curiously, unsure what to do or say. Larten had a natural gift with wolves though he doubted his ability to befriend a tiger. For some reason, however, Larten found himself curious of the beast and his intelligence.

"Do you know I am not the same as other humans?" Larten's voice made the tiger jump and look quickly at Larten, having begun to doze off. He studied the orange haired man curiously and barked throatily.

So he understands me? Larten sat up, the tiger mimicking, "Is that a yes? Nod if so,"

The tiger barked and nodded his head before yawning. At this, Larten couldn't help but smile. "My name is Larten Crepsley," he said and patted his chest before gesturing to the Tiger, "Do you have a name?"

With that the beast growled and nodded, standing on his long, muscular legs and leaving the cave. Following his instincts, Larten shadowed, frowning when the tiger stopped before a tree.

He growled and ran a paw down the dark wooden trunk, the needles and pines on the branches ruffling in the winter wind. Larten stared in confusion, the tiger barking and clawing the tree. "You are named after this tree?" the vampire guessed as the tiger nodded, "A needle tree?" an angry snarled told Larten he was wrong, "Pine? Fir? Coniferous? Tree? Cone?" he pulled back and looked up at the large tree, closing his eyes as he attempted to recall Seba's lessons…

"_Pay attention, boy!" Seba frowned, watching as his human charge yawned in boredom. _

"_I am watching, Seba," the boy stressed, kicking a stone in frustration; he didn't understand why knowing what tree was which would ever help him in the long run. A tree is meant for building shelter and for fuelling fire. Trees did nothing else._

_Seba could see his assistant looking slightly miffed, sensing he didn't understand the beauty of trees and the vitality they blessed the planet with. "Master Crepsley, you should not look upon trees as just material for you to carve or burn. They are to be respected by you and I. When one surrenders himself to nature and its people then one is truly free. Remember that, Larten, if you remember any of my teachings when I am long since gone."_

"_I don't get it," Larten interjected, "What does that have to do with types of trees?"_

_Seba sighed, "Larten, you are a human but you are an Englishman called Larten of the Crepsley household. I am a vampire but I am a Scotsman called Seba of the Nile family. We fit into a genre but out of politeness I will not just call you a human and you will not refer to me as just a vampire. You and I are more than just a label. It is out of respect that I will learn my friend's names and that is something you must do for the trees." Larten seemed to slowly be understanding, "When I take you to Vampire Mountain you will see that the mountain itself is a life force, one of which you will become a part of when I blood you. If you want to appreciate life as a free vampire you will subject yourself to nature and learn from every creature, every droplet of a waterfall, and every branch of a tree, every sight and every sound."_

_Larten looked even more confused by that which made Seba smile. He was a keen learner, feral at heart, but he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. He pointed a long finger up at the tree they were stood before and smiled, "What's that tree then?"_

"_That would be a Horse chestnut tree. I presume you have played conkers before?" Seba asked as he picked up a conker and cracked open its fleshy green shell to reveal the smooth shining brown seed. When Larten shook his head, Seba laughed, "Then I recommend you gather as many of these things as you can. We shall conclude our lesson tonight and play a best-of-five tournament once we make camp for the day. I must warn you, Master Crepsley, that I am a master in the art of conker wars!"_

Larten looked up at the tree and frowned. He was torn about its identity. He was sure it was a hemlock, the everglade as opposed to the poison Hemlock plant. It certainly was part of the pinaceae family, he was more than sure of that. He was about to ask the tiger when he noticed the most glaringly obvious clue; the fir tree and no leaves or needles and it was winter. It was not a coniferous tree despite its similarities. It was in fact a deciduous. He grinned at that realisation as he found a few cones and studied them; each was erect and showed two distinct colours, brown and purple. It was a Larix tree!

"Is your name Larix?" Larten asked the tiger, discarding the cones in his hands and looking to the tiger for an answer. The snarl he received was a mix of agreement and anger. Larten thought hard for the common name as opposed to the Latin title. "Larch. This is a Larch tree. Your name is Larch."

After well over an hour of lengthily discussing mindless possibilities, the tiger nodded in agreement.

Larten complimented himself on remembering such an old conversation with his mentor and smiled at Larch knowingly, "Thank you, Larch, for having saved me from the icy waters. It was a brave deed, one I am in your debt for."

At that, Larch's rounded black ears twisted and he gave a low snort.

"What is it?" Larten asked as Larch began to lead him away from the clearing and through a thick patch of trees. Larten covered his groin with one hand and swatted branches with the other; the tiger had thick fur to protect his body parts whereas Larten was as naked as a new baby, his skin tender and soft from the freezing dip into the lake. He had no inhibitions about his naked form. In fact, Larten felt slightly liberated in his current state. His feet were toughed to walk on ice and snow after many treks up Vampire Mountain. After eating the rabbit and draining every droplet of blood the vampire's own blood was circulating quickly to supply heat to his limps so Larten was far from freezing.

If truth be told Larten felt more at ease here than he had within Vancha's Resistance Camp. An amused smile spread across his lips as he thought of the novelty of that idea; Larch made him feel more welcome than the last living Prince of his people. A slight chuckle escaped Larten's throat; Larch was probably far well-kept than Vancha too. Larch's long red tail flicked against Larten's thigh, a sign that he was making too much noise and that his giggling was not acceptable decorum. At this, Larten fell quiet and continued after the orange beast, silently.

They came to a small clearing, a wall of thick fir trees blocked out all forms of sunlight whiched allowed Larten to wonder unaffected. It was only as Larten's sense of smell returned –his nose had been blocked and uncomfortable like many of the other Resistance members- that he detected the weak scent of blood in the air. Instantly his hackles rose and he adopted a defensive stance as he continued to follow Larch who seemed unaffected by the light metallic smell.

The tiger stopped before a mound of snow, stained slightly pink, then began to nuzzle it. Larten watched curiously as Larch knocked off the snow to reveal the head of a smaller tiger, its body consumed by compressed ice as it lay lifeless. Larch gave a low growl and began licking the dried crusted blood from the second tiger's whiskers before expressing the softest of whines. Two large sad green eyes looked up at Larten as the tiger nudged the dead with his huge red paws.

Perhaps he was deluded but Larten could have sworn that there was a faint similarity between the two beasts, not too unlike Gannen and Vancha. He knelt by Larch and slowly extended a hand to the dead's fur, waiting for his hand to be swiped away though it wasn't. Gently, Larten stroked the wet fur of the corpse whilst Larch lay down and rested his head on Larten's thigh. The vampire couldn't help but be amazed, his eyes watering ever so slightly as a fond memory suddenly absorbed him…

"_What's a tiger?" Vur asked, chewing on one of the two apples he and Larten had been given from the fruit stall in the Market; they were rotting and badly bruised but to two boys who considered a slice of bread dipped in liquid fat a treat a bad piece of fruit was Kingly. Sundays they worked half days and so were leisurely taking their time returning home and relaxing by the old quarry._

"_It's like a lion, aint it," Larten informed factually, balancing along a crumbling brick wall, his own apple half-finished and in his hand. Even as a young juvenile he was somewhat a know-it-all._

"_What's a Lion again?" Vur replied, watching his older cousin nearly fall as a brick snapped off and caught him off guard._

"_It's a big cat, remember? They've got them beards," Larten said before gasping and tripping, landing in a dusty heap on the floor. Out of embarrassment and frustration he grabbed a few rocks and threw them against the wall before turning his nose up and walking away. Vur hurriedly followed. "How can you not know what a lion is? There's one on the bloody shilling!"_

"_Are they scary?" Vur asked as he followed his older cousin loyally, the wind ruffling his bright orange hair, "Do they eat people?"_

"_Aye," Larten nodded, pulling up beside a dank street of housing and lowered the front of his dusty shorts and began peeing, chewing his apple with his free hand, "I know a man that got his arm bitten off by one when he went to someplace called Africa."_

"_Where's that?" Vur asked curiously, popping his apple in his pocket as he mimicked Larten and peed._

"_It's up North by York," Larten commented, shaking then tucking himself back into his shorts._

"_Isn't York really close? Do the Tigers live there too?" Vur shuddered fearfully, straining as he hurried to finish peeing before chasing after Larten once more._

"_Nah it's near Edinburgh," Larten informed, his younger cousin believing each and every elaborate story which Larten told him, "and yeah but there's a big lake which stops the lions and tigers coming here so that's why they don't ever eat Londoners. Remember what Mam said the other day?" he adopted a squawking voice, ""There's no fat on them boys. Cannibals wouldna take 'em!"" both boys giggled, recalling what Larten's mother had said the other day, "So I think if the lions and tigers did swim across the lake then we'd be okay. They'd maybe eat Traz; he's big and fat and stupid. He'd probably get stuck in the door running away and get his bum bitten off!" Both boys laughed at that, Larten doing an impression of the foreman whilst Vur chased him, 'meow'ing like a cat –neither boy knew what sound a Lion or Tiger would make._

"_When I'm older," Vur said as they neared their tiny tenement house, "I think we should go to Africa."_

"_We could take Tiger and lion cubs and raise them. Big Albert says that his grandpa raised a lamb. It ended up barking like their dog and could sit when it got told to," Larten chuckled, "We could train the cubs to eat our enemies."_

"_Imagine if we sent the cubs to Buckingham Palace and they ate the Queen!" Vur giggled childishly, "We'd become Kings!"_

"_I would make a good King," Larten decided, "Me and my army of tiger cubs. We could invade Wales and take their coal and be rich. Remember what Papa said?" he adopted a second voice, lower and a little bit gruffer, ""There's gold in them hills. The Welsh are bloody lucky, so they are,""_

"_If you're King can I be a knight? I always wanted to be one of those," Vur's eyes glowed with excitement as he imagined himself on horseback, laced in the finest armour with adoring fans cheering his name proudly._

"_Nah," Larten said abruptly, waking Vur from his dream, "You wouldn't be a good knight on account of your cowardliness. You'd be better in the Palace. You could be my butler."_

Larten struggled not to laugh at the memory of the two orange haired boys in his mind, not wanting to be caught in good humour when Larch was obviously hurting. The tiger hadn't moved his heavy head from Larten's thigh, his green eyes watching the lifeless body of his brethren.

"I gather that this is a family member?" Larten asked, feeling the tiger nod once. "A brother?" Again, Larch nodded, his bushy white furred mane rubbing up Larten's lap and tickling the vampire somewhat, "Did he have a name?"

Larch stood once more and walked over to a group of trees, his paws heavier on the ground than usual as he indicated towards the coniferous wall that lined the clearing.

Getting better at these guessing games, Larten nodded, "Was his name Fir? Those are a group of Fir trees." Larch nodded once more before rejoining the vampire, resting his head back on his lap and letting off a slight sigh. "Larch and Fir," Larten couldn't pick out why that sounded so familiar too him as he lay down on the snow, the tiger making himself comfortable on the vampire's abdomen "I am sorry for your loss, Larch,"

Larch snorted and barked some response which Larten couldn't really understand, a hand running down his toned pale torso to the tiger head blanketing his waist. Softly, he caressed Larch' orange fur, scratching right behind the tiger's ear as they both fell into a unified silence, listening to the sounds of nature around them.

**Hallo again dear readers :) Sorry for the very long awaited update; There's no real excuse for it. I just got bored a little and needed some time away from writing this to relax and have a few messy nights. **

**So this is it, the chapter with the Tiger in the Prophecy that Mr Tiny predicted. I thought I'd better get round writting it but I get the feeling that perhaps the whole tiger idea was what put me off continuing to write. Still I managed it so hopefully you all found it okay. **

**There was a few flashbacks in this, the one of Seba spouting beliefs and the other of Larten and Vur. I got the inspiration for writing those two flash backs from two sources. For later chapters I needed Seba to say what he had and I was struggling quite a bit on how to word it. Then I was actually listening to the Radio when Coldplay, Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall, began playing and I was suddenly inspired to write once more. I think I must have hit the replay button on youtube a million times (I've certainly contrabuted to it's number of views significantly anyways!)**

**The second flash back was actually inspired by me and my younger brother. As most kids do, I used to speak the biggest lot of shite and my brother being so gullible and very sheltered, ate everything up. I once told him that Kanto was actually in Newcastle and that Pokemon were actually real; you just had to look hard enough for them. It wasn't just me that took the Michael out of my brother. I remember my eldest cousin informed him that when you're going over the Forth Road Bridge ( a huge bridge in Scotland) there was a sea monster that'd knock your car off the track if it thought you were a bad person and a sinner. Needless to say I have a lot of stories to tell the world on his wedding day!**

**As for the brother Tigers, there's no prize for guessing where the names Larch and Fir came from. Still, if you guess correctly I'll give you a cookie (:**

**Special shout out to Wolfgurl6- I love the daily random emails I get from her and I hope she appreciates mine :) I'd like to note that I converted her to a Scottish band called Twin Atlantic ;)**

**Thank you everyone for all your fantastic reviews! I can't believe I'm almost five away from one hundred and fifty! :O :O :O**

**Thank you all so so so so so much :)**

**Preston (;**

**(sneaky face because I made a long Author's note and now the word count is even higher than the 3,600 that is literally was, hahaha!)**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty One**

_**One week later…**_

"so I said to him, "Gavner! What, in the name of every single God I know, are you doing?" and do you know what that fool said to me as he began to scale the building?" Larten asked as he carried back four dead fish over his naked shoulder, ""I want to be the first vampire to plank the Burj Khalifa, now shut up and help me!""

"What Burj Khalifa?" Larch barked. Though they had only been hunting partners for a week or so, Larten had quickly developed a strong bond with the tiger and was now able to work out toughly what each growl and hiss meant.

"It is a large human construction, I think the largest building in the world," Larten answered as they entered the cave den. The vampire hadn't felt so strong in his life; feeling free whenever he and Larch hunted, enjoying the rugged lifestyle he was now experiencing. Vancha truly had the right idea, Larten believed as he sat on the floor and began to eat their catch, when the Resistance won the War Larten would be sure to introduce Darren to this sort of living.

Darren.

Larten stared at the fish he was about to bite sadly as he recalled his assistant's cheeky nature and irritating attitude. Not a day went passed when he didn't worry about his comrades. He often wondered where they were but he was afraid to return to them; after all, he'd lost the sword and he failed to save Lord Gannen. No King would do either of those things. In his opinion, he had failed.

"What you thinking?" Larch grunted, bringing the vampire out of his dark thoughts.

"I am thinking of my family," Larten nodded, staring Larch in the eyes, "My cub and my mate and my bestfriend are going to fight over territory with those who are poisoning the Mountain's water supply."

Larch bristled at that. One day whilst the two were hunting, Larch led Larten to the main source of water for the Mountain's people; a dirty littered lake polluted with decomposing leftovers, faeces, urine, litter and, worst of all, the remains of the dead. Larten was shocked by that; he hadn't expected the Vampaneze to be so disrespectful to nature and the wild. It disgusted him.

"Why you not fight?" Larch hissed.

"I cannot explain why, I do not know myself, but I do know that I am no King. I am not this…this Messiah that Mr Tiny has made out that I am. I cannot even keep my Mate from being raped!" Larten roared in anger, throwing his fish against the wall, feeling his heart ache when he heard it slap down upon his armour; it lay where he left it.

"Coward," Larch snorted and turned his attention back to eating.

"Whatever," Larten sniffed as he ripped the head off his dinner and ate hungrily. Perhaps that was the worst thing about the Tiger; he was truthful and blunt with his honesty. He saw the war from his point of view; the vampaneze were disrespectful and polluting his environment. They had hunted the precious game to extinction and, with the deer and boars having fled from the mountain years ago, now they had begun to use wolves to fine-tune their hunting skills. That had seen the wolves, also, flee for their lives to more remote glens which the likes of Larch were too sensible to enter; the wolves took no prisoners when protecting their pack territories, especially now that they had already been run out of old dens. The very life force surrounding the mountain was slowly being poisoned, the Vampaneze like a snake which constricted the raw materials required to live and bit those who attempted to rectify normal order. Larch had lost his own brother to the evil present in the mountain, his younger sibling having been clubbed to death by vampaneze who wanted a decent hunting target.

Larten's mind began drifting to the wolves strangely enough. He remembered the pup, Rudi, and his pack leader Streak. They had been very aggressive towards the vampaneze scent which he, Gavner and Darren found on their arrival to the mountain. Streak in particular had curled his lips at the mere smell. Larten wondered what the wolves feelings of the vampaneze would be now that they had driven them to desperation.

Larch growled and stood, swapping Larten's dinner from his hands and growling furiously, lips pulled back over his lethally long fangs as he snapped his jaw inches from Larten's face.

The vampire's breath caught in his throat, fear gripping him as the tiger seemed to be shouting at him with loud and angry barks and grunts.

"Coward!" Larch seemed to snap, clubbing Larten's face with a heavy paw and pushing him to the ground, "Weak!" he continued to spit, pressing his claws deep into Larten's chest as he pushed his weight onto the vampire.

Larten roared furiously, kicking the tiger's stomach whilst he wrapped his hands around the girth of the beast's throat. Larch snarled loudly, thrashing to have his neck freed as he sliced the vampire's naked form viciously before Larten finally freed him and kicked him off.

"Do not ever fucking touch me like that again!" Larten roared bleeding all over from the scratches the tiger had inflicted upon him. Larch hissed at the vampire furiously but didn't approach him; he licked his own scrapes instead and glared angrily at Larten.

"You let mate die?" Larch asked with a deep bark. Larten gripped the side of his head and sunk to the floor. "You let cub die? You let territory die?"

"No," Larten snarled in a quiet voice.

"Pardon?" Larch snarled, charging towards Larten with a vicious hiss.

"No!" Larten snarled, lunging forward and meeting Larch, glaring the tiger straight in the eye as he stood on all fours, lips pulled back and revealing his teeth as he panted like a savaged animal, "Help me," Larten growled, "I cannot do this alone,"

Larch bowed his head and nuzzled it against Larten's, a sandpaper rough tongue running up the vampire's curious brown beard-orange hair combination.

"Thank you," Larten sighed, gripping Larch's neck tight with his arms and embracing the tiger before letting him go and returning to the clothes he had discarded about a week ago, allowing them to dry as well as they could. He pulled on his trousers with a shudder; they were still freezing cold and damp from when he'd removed them. Spitting on his hands he started covering his wounds in his saliva, the claw scratches healing effortlessly. "We must hurry, Larch. The Resistance will not have long and we have several stops we must make before we can truly make an impact on the battle."

"Where stop?" Larch barked, watching Larten through his shirt on, not bothering with his armour.

"We need to find Fane, a little boy whom I asked to evacuate the human settlements. He took them to a town south from here," Larten nodded, pulling on his sodden boots, "I want to bargain with the men and try to convert more men to the cause. We must also stop by the lake so I can reequip myself with my sword. Firstly," he looked at Larch as they made their way to the den's entrance, "I need you to take me to the Glen of wolves,"

Larch snarled loudly at that but nodded and appeared to bow his shoulder and gestured to him strangely with his head, "Get on my back, Sire."

Larten laughed at that and carefully placed a leg over the barrel that was Larch's belly, gripping tightly the folds of fur around the orange beast. He gave a loud gasp at the speed Larch set off at, his thick lined paws meaning he could masterfully press deep into the snow and keep balance as he sprinted through the forests towards the most terrifying glen in the mountain rage; the Wolves Territory.

**So two more chapters then the big dramatic fight scene then this fanfic, my first, is completed! :O**

**So excited to get this finished now, see if I can have it done in the next few days maybe :D**

**Thank you all so so so much for staying with me whilst i write this and for sending me both reviews and PM's too; I love hearing from people.**


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter thirty two.**

The valley grew darker and darker the further they delved, Larten couldn't believe how low the temperature seemed to be in this shadowy territory.

Running through the snow would have taken the vampires' weeks but Larch was designed for the snow, able to maintain his grip and balance as he sped through the forest. He occasionally roared loudly, Larten assuming he was feeling exhilarated.

Their sped fell dramatically as they entered the Wolves territory, however. Larch grew tense and slow, his every paw placed in front of him only after he searched left and right vigorously. He had every right to be nervous; an uneasy feeling in Larten's gut developed as he spied the remains of deer carcasses, stripped clean, he hoped, by the elements. The tree trunks were heavily scratched and the vampire could see a few yellow and brown stains in the snow where the wolves had marked their territory through urination and faeces.

The vampire's heart was pounding profoundly, eyes darting behind every tree as he searched for the slightest sign of movement; wolves were tricky to spot for they masked themselves perfectly in this bleak habitat.

"Where are they?" Larten asked softly, grabbing Larch tightly as the tiger bucked him slightly; he could make no noise under any circumstance.

They continued onwards into the eerie glen, their wits kept close as they pondered onwards.

A howl.

Behind them.

Larch snarled loudly and sprinted onwards, Larten nearly falling off his orange steed at the sheer speed he bolted at. Daring a backwards glimpse, Larten gasped as the largest army of wolves he'd ever seen persuade them. A sea of grey, brown, white and the occasional black, wolves snapped at their heels hungrily; food was scarce and a tiger and a man would provide a decent meal to last them a few weeks.

"Larch!" Larten roared, pointing left and right as they became boxed in by the dogs, their only option to continue racing forward.

That's what the wolves wanted…

Larch spotted the huge cliff wall first but was too late to prevent running into it. They were trapped.

Larten looked up the steep side of stone; it was too smooth to climb and, even then, he could see the snarling snouts of hungry wolves waiting for them at the top, their barks loud and aggressive. The persuading wolves had done it; they'd trapped them.

Larch shrugged Larten off and stood before him, protecting him in vain as the wolves advanced and backed them further into a corner. The tiger hissed and made a swipe, catching a few wolves though not making much of an impact; there was a good few hundred wolves and only two of them.

A snarl caught everyone's attention. All eyes, vampire, tiger and wolf alike, turned left to an incredibly old looking wolf who slowly made his way down the cliff wall, yelping as his old bones creaked. Larten studied the wolf as it approached them; sickly thin, a long snout, mangy matted fur, a chewed ear and a terrible limp. How the beast had survived astounded Larten, he knew wolves were quick to dismiss the weak from their packs.

Larch's attention went back to the still advancing wolves, snarling and ripping into a black beast for straying too close. The wolf yelped and did back away though soon came back to the front of the queue to get its teeth into Larch's juicy body.

Larten's attention didn't leave the elderly wolf, backing right against the cliff face, saliva from the wolves above dripping onto his shaggy orange mane and shoulders.

"I am a vampire," he said meaninglessly to the old dog, it times of extreme hunger the wolves were not going to be picky on meat, even if it would lead to their deaths.

The wolf was inches from Larten now, sniffing the vampire's scent curiously. Something made it stop dead still. Larten noticed the wolf tense his tired muscles before turning to his brethren and snarling loudly. Larch seemed to comprehend what the elder wolf was saying and so stood behind him, still protecting Larten.

The vampire suddenly recalled Darren's wolves, Streak and-

"Rudi!" Larten laughed, seeing the elderly dog wag its balding tail as he continued to bark at the other wolves. They stopped their advancements, falling a few steps back and staring at Larten, their heads lopsided in curiosity. Rudi continued to explain in his own way that Larten was a friend and not food. In the seventeen years that the vampaneze had been the dominant species, the wolves had forgotten their bonds with vampires, Rudi one of the few remaining wolves who still held those friendly alliances close to his aging heart.

One by one, the wolves approached, sniffing the vampire before welcomingly licking his hands and boots; they identified his scent as something to their own.

"Hello," Larten said eagerly, sitting down as a wave of fur and tongues mauled his body, giving up on swotting them away as they sniffed his bottom and his crotch; they seemed to be trying to identify him, learning his smell for the future.

Larch remained tense and uneasy, not hiding but rather keeping his distance. Wolves and Tigers were rivals for the same game. Though they meant each other no harm in that instance, Larch kept himself collected and thus kept his distance, eyes never leaving Larten as he laugh jovially.

As the madness seemed to subside, Larten grew serious, looking for Rudi who hadn't left his side. "Rudi, my people are in desperate need of help. Remember the boy I travelled with, and the man? They are about to fight over our territory," Rudi's eyes narrowed and Larten wondered if he understood or not. "My friend and I came here to ask for help. We are going to fight too but two lives will not make the difference."

The wolf turned to his brethren, then back to Larten. There was confusion in his eyes, an in ability to completely comprehend what Larten was saying. Then again, maybe Rudi did understand but Larten couldn't understand him?

'I am mad' Larten thought, 'I am so bloody ma-'

Rudi threw his snout high into the air as a surprisingly beautiful howl erupted from the wolf's balding chest. Answering his call, several more wolves joined Rudi's song, till the entire Glen was alive the piercing harmony of the pack.

_**Meanwhile…**_

Gavner and Arra looked up to the lightening night sky as they made camp for the day, hearing the sound of wolves in the far distance.

A closer howl caught their attention, gazing up at Vancha as he howled a reply. Of course, the Prince had no idea what was being said but it was still the novelty which amused the others in the Resistance.

"We'll be at the mountain soon," Gavner noted. "A battle to end all battles. The war to end all war,"

Arra rolled her eyes and smirked slightly, "Shut up, Gav."

**Bit of a quick chapter there :)**

**The Resistance are getting closer to war now. Their battle starts the following day. dun dun dun**

**After a quick escape, Larten, Larch, Rudi and an entire wolf pack will be on their tails to help assist in the 'war to end all wars' :L Such a deep thing for Gav to say, shot down by Arra again xD**

**Thank you for reading!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter Thirty Three**.

Vancha pushed his Resistance further forward ruthlessly through rain, sleet and snow. His eyes were set on the task in hand, listing his jobs in his mind:

_Break through the doors._

_Kill some Vampaneze._

_Get the Stone of Blood._

_Kill/Kidnap Kurda._

_Send people after the Lord of the Vampaneze._

_Destroy the stone of blood._

_Start a colony of vampires in a safe haven away from Vampaneze._

Arra walked by his side. He smiled weakly at her, glad for her company as they neared the final way station.

"How are you holding up, Sire?" she asked curiously, looking radiant despite her muddy skin, greasy hair tied back and scratches across her cheeks and forehead.

"Fine, Arra," Vancha smiled weakly. In truth he was struggling to come to terms with how brutally his brother was slain. He understood why Gavner, Arra, Darren and a few others had pinned him though; of all the lives that were too important to lose his and Larten's were at the top of the scale.

_**Larten…**_

Vancha hadn't given his King as much thought as he probably should have. In truth he never believed anything Tiny said though knew full well the power the tiny man held. If he said Larten was a King and the only hope for his people then he gladly went with it but Vancha was a believer in making one's own fate. He suggested that a man could make his own destiny and his own choices which were unbound by a meddling man with a watch.

"How're you holding up? I gathered you and Larten were courting again?" Vancha asked Arra, his eyes running over a slightly sharp expression.

"We weren't courting," she said stonily, her narrow grey eyes looking before her and not at her Prince.

"Not to embarrass you, Miss Sails," Vancha suddenly grinned under his bristly beard, "but I heard some strange noises coming from the woods the morning before we lost Larten and Gannen to the lake." Arra blushed brightly at that, Vancha taking slight pleasure from her discomfort, "In fact, I think I heard you telling him that if he ran out onto the ice you'd 'never fuck him again'."

"Yes. Well," was all the vampiress could say, her face bright as a beetroot as they continued forward at a steady pace, not willing to over exert themselves so closely to the battle.

"How are you getting on, Shan?" Gavner asked, looking to his left as the two continued to stroll amidst a mix of Vampires and Vampaneze Resistance.

"Nervous. That fight on the ice is the first fight I've been in," Darren laughed weakly, "I'm hoping I get lucky and kill a few before they get me,"

"You'll kill them all," Gavner grinned, ruffling Darren's greasy hair playfully, "You'll do us all proud."

"I bloody well hope so," Darren said nervously, looking at the frosty floor as the trampled on.

The tension seemed unmoving. Gavner could feel the black aura around the Resistance as though it were an actual crippling disease. Such a bad vibe was not what they needed before a battle; pessimists were the first to be stabbed because they expected to. An Optimist at least believed enough in themselves to not slip up.

"I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing. Roman Cavalry choirs are singing. Be my mirror, my sword and shield, my missionaries in a foreign field. For some reason I can't explain. Once you go there was never, never an honest word and that was when I ruled the world," Gavner started singing, Arra groaning as she overheard him. She loved Gavner to pieces but openly admitted that he grated on her nerves.

"Must you always sing? We have a battle to concern ourselves with," Arra scoffed.

It was Darren who commented, Larten's wit having clearly worn off on the boy as he silenced the vampiress; "Whatever, Margret Thatcher."

"Beautiful!" Gavner howled, clasping Darren's shoulders as Arra stormed ahead with a 'humpff'.

"I've been thinking about that one for ages now. I'm so glad I finally got to use it!" Darren grinned cheekily as Gavner walked ahead, head held high as he continued to sing loudly to raise morale in the only way he knew; making a fool of himself.

"It was the wicked and wild wind, blew down the doors to let me in. Shattered windows and the sound of drums; People couldn't believe what I'd become. Revolutionaries wait for my head on a silver plate; Just a puppet on a lonely string. Oh who would ever want to be king?"

_**Meanwhile…**_

Larten could not believe the speed Larch, Rudi and the other wolves ran at, the urgency high in the air for them all as word seemed to spread through the forest of the Resistance and the plot to overthrow the men in the mountains.

And eagle shrieked above them, catching Larten's attention as the sky became a canvas of black; ravens soaring above them as they joined the second Resistance.

The King's Resistance…

_Mr Tiny grinned, "You are all in very real danger. In a year's time there will be a great war for this Mountain, one in which you shan't win," there was complete out-roar in the Hall of Lords but Mr Tiny continued with an evil grin, "A vampire will rise and lead an army against you and it will be your head, Kurda, that will roll before the battle is won."_

…Perhaps Vancha's Resistance was not the planned Resistance which Tiny had embedded. What if it was this Army of those who have been equally as effected by the Vampaneze invasion as the Vampires in the Mountain had been. These birds, mammals and insects had lost their land, their families and their homes to escape being hunted to extinction. Tonight, going against all that Darwin had taught, these natural enemies had unified to save their own future and fight for their land with Larten.

Such a noble thing, the vampire thought as they neared a tiny human settlement.

Larten recalled Fane, the small orphaned Romanian peasant, when he had collapsed before Darren, Larten carrying him to Vancha and Gannen in the tree house…

_"Can you point to your town on the map where your home is?" Arra asked softly, walking Fane towards a large map of the area and the Mountains on a table. Fane seemed to understand and pointed out to a settlement a hundred or so miles away. No one could believe the boy had made such a trek alone but, judging by his current state, no one argued. "What happened?" Arra asked even softer than before, "What did you see."_

_"Neighbours dead. Sister dead. Preacher dead," Fane mumbled, "I was sleep in barn. Everyone dead in morning," he gripped Arra tighter and began crying. Instinctively Arra pulled him into an embrace and looked at Vancha, Gannen and Larten for the plan of action._

_It was Gannen who spoke up, "There are three more Villages which may be at risk. We would be wise to evacuate."_

_"Aye," Larten nodded, watching the sobbing boy's back quaking as he buried himself in Arra's chest. A memory was evoked in Larten as he recalled his blood brother, Wester Flack. He had been made an orphan after the Vampaneze slayed his family. With that in mind Larten suddenly felt strongly in favour of evacuating other villages, "I want no other children orphaned."_

_"What do you expect us to do then?" Vancha spat, "You can't just uproot fifty odd humans because we said so. We would be best to ready the Resistance and make for the Mountain. Obviously they're looking for us now."_

_Larten shrugged defiantly, "I want the villages evacuated."_

_"__**I don't think that's possible**__," Vancha growled._

_"__**Then we will make it possible**__," Larten snarled._

_Gannen interrupted before an argument broke out, "If I send a few of my men out there with Fane we could convince them?" he offered, "Vampires don't have the same vibrant red hair and purple skin that we do. Perhaps my men could even scare them to leave?"_

_Larten looked at Fane who was now staring at Gannen, recognizing his name in the conversation. When Fane stared at Larten there was a noticeable fear but also strength in his eyes; Larten was certain that this boy could prove useful to the Resistance. "Aye, Gannen," Larten nodded and knelt before the boy and stared him at eye level, "Fane, will you help us move other villages away from the Demons?"_

_Fane looked very confused but nodded, "I help make people leave,"…_

As desolate as this wooden ghost town was, Larten was glad they were hunting the humans out. He recalled how opposed to the notion Vancha was, the two leaders going at loggerheads till Gannen intervened and suggested a productive method of evacuation.

"Hello?" Larten called, his woodland Army stopping to rest as the vampire climbed down from Larch, a sharp stone his only weapon. "Larch, go and rest," he ordered, the tiger doing as asked and dropping in a panting heap beside the other tired animals.

With slow, quiet steps, Larten checked each and every wooden building. There was definitely life here, he could smell and see mounds of faeces and urine which reminded him of the cesspits his uncle often was seen cleaning before he died from consumption.

"Hello?" he called, trying to open the door of a town hall. He frowned when he saw through the glass doors that it was heavily barricaded by furniture inside. Odd.

He shoved the push door hard, causing the obstacle keeping him from entering to budge ever so slightly. "Hello? Is anyone in here?" he called again, swearing he could hear the slight whimper of a woman inside, "I need to speak to someone urgently," he spoke softly and calmly, shoving the door again till he made a gap big enough for him to fit his skinny body through.

"Is anyone her-"

A bullet tore millimetres above Larten's head, the vampire gasping and rolling to the side.

"I am unarmed!" he shouted as he heard the gun being cocked for a second shot, "Peace!" Larten yelled, squeezing himself behind a pillar as a second bullet tore through the crumbling post. Acting quickly, Larten ripped the sleeve of his shirt and waved the material like a flag, a third bullet firing before deep voices shouted at each other and advanced on Larten.

The vampire raised his hands and went to meet the rugged, bearded men, their guns pointing directly in his face as they shouted in a language he was un familiar with.

"Fane. Is Fane here?" Larten called, out, eyes closed so his attackers could see he wasn't planning any sort of escape, "Fane? Fane?"

A small voice made an order. A deep voice seemed to question it. The small voice spoke again.

The guns that had been pointing at Larten's face seemed to disappear and, peeking under an eyelid, Larten saw Fane standing with a rifle in his hand and a knife at his side. He grinned big as he remembered the orange haired man as the man whom had organized for the boy to save the local villages.

"Crepsley," Fane pointed out.

"Fane," Larten dropped to his knees in relief, expecting for the swiftest of moments that he was going to be shot.

_**Later…**_

Communication with the boy seemed no easier than it had been in the tree house. Larten had absolutely no idea half of what Fane said and he strongly believed that the feeling was mutual. From what he gathered, Gannen's men had left when they began craving human blood and, from the upset expression on Fane's face, had been killed in the most terrible way possible.

"Purple men very bad to your men," was all Fane said on the matter, making Larten's heart drop as he ate potato soup hungrily, and thinking about how evil Glalda's men must have been to kill their own kind.

The village people had dared to go outside, feeling a little confident with Larten around after Fane explained who the man was. They welcomed him warmly, offering him a new shirt and replaced his stone with a dagger. When the village people saw the assembled animal army resting, they were amazed and nervous. Such things were demonic in these parts and for that reason they began to wonder if Larten's presence was that of a higher purposes doing.

"I need men," Larten finally admitted after a short conversation, "I need strong fighters for battle."

Fane looked puzzled at that and stared at him questioningly, "Fight purple men?" he asked after a lengthily silence.

"Aye," Larten nodded, "The bad men. I am going to stop them but need help."

The instance the purple men were mentioned Fane had Larten's complete attention, hatred burning in the orphan boy's eyes. He turned to a few of the men who had attempted to shoot Larten earlier, eleven of them, "These men good?" the boy asked, waving at himself then the other armed humans.

Larten gasped and nodded. He hadn't expected more than five humans willing to help and, even then, the pictured them to be mere cannon fodder for the vampaneze. Though guns were against his nature he appreciated that they would be the only way the humans could fight the vampaneze effectively and, thus, had no problems with it.

They deserved to die disgracefully.

"Fane," Larten's eyes were somewhat water, touched that the few village men there had opted to fight for a man they didn't know, "Thank you so much,"

_**Later…**_

Larten splashed a bucket of cold water over his face and hair as the humans dressed and prepared for departure. He used the dagger he had been given to shave his bristly brown beard before attending to a few slightly pussy cuts on his arms and legs. Once dressed in a cleaner shirt he looked out to see the men saying goodbye to their families and friends.

"Now for sword?" Larch snorted, cleaning his paws.

"Yes," Larten sighed, "We must. Tiny has been correct so far; if he says we require a sword then we must get the exact sword we are asked for,"

"Tiny is bad man?" Larch asked, unfamiliar with the term 'Tiny'.

"Aye," Larten nodded with a weak smile, "I do not trust him anyway."

Fane approached Larten with a big smile, a potato sack horizontal in his hands. "Crepsley?" he called, "Old Lady bringing Crepsley a present."

"Old lady?" Larten frowned, taking in a deep smell of the bag and looking at Larch suspiciously, "It smells like Lady Evanna…"

Larch tilted his head curiously; all mammals knew the Lady of the Wild and knew of her magical properties.

Slowly, Larten's hand slid into the bag, gasping when he felt the freezing sharpness of a blade. Carefully, so as not to cut himself, he pulled the weapon free from the jute sack, his eyes widening and a grin sweeping across his face as he instantly recognized the gold inscription which so many had read to him the faithful day he had held the sword without an adverse effect;

_"We will always resist. We will always fight. We will never surrender."_

**A very long Chapter there but it's up like I said it would be when I left a note on The Trials of Parenthood :)**

**The next chapter forr this story should be up tomorrow too :D it's been a long work in progress too; half way through it and it's at four thousand words. The next chapter is actually where I got the entire inspiration for this fanfic from so, if you don't know the song This Is War then youtube it!**

**I'm tired so Nuh-night :)**

**Thank you for all the reviews I've been given! Brings a tear to my eye. Thank you al so so so so much!**

**Preston z...z...z...Z...Z...Z**


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter Thitry Four.**

**Disclaimer: This is a slight song fic so maybe listen to This Is War – Thirty Seconds to Mars. You don't have to though :L**

**Sorry it's so long too and that I 'loosely' based Vancha March's battle prep speech on Braveheart (fucking hate that film *grumble* fucking Mel Gibson *snarl*) because, for use of a better phrase, I'm shit at inspirational speeches :L**

_**A warning to the people…**_

Seventeen years the mountain had suffered under the Vampaneze rule. As it had taken its toll on the vampires the Mountain itself had suffered greatly. The vampaneze didn't respect nature as the vampires did; they wouldn't throw scraps of food to the wolves and instead seemed dead set on competing with the various packs for food and water. Game was becoming increasingly low as deer and boars fled and migrated to other mountains out of the jurisdiction of the vampaneze where the successfully bred and multiplied.

Despite their inability to process cognitive thoughts as humans do, the beasts seemed to understand that there was great cruelty occurring within those stone walls; a feeling in their bones that almost angered them.

Loyal to their territory, the wolves had remained till they physically could no longer. The dead bodies of the vampires were dumped within the watering holes, polluting the lake and bringing disease to the wolves. Many died instantly, many more went mad. They no longer had food, they no longer had water and when the vampaneze decided to use them as hunting practice, they lost their territories and were force to flee.

Rudi couldn't remember much in his old age but through him his offspring new the stories of the old times; when wolves ran freely with the vampires, when packs from across the mountains met and congregated to swap stories and good hunting spots. Even with his frail, bony, dying body Rudi continued to meet the pace of the other skeletal wolves as they followed this man and his Tiger, running at an unbelievable speed whilst the humans on horseback rode behind hurriedly. Such a strange phenomenon would become legend amongst the wolves for all eternity; a story for the ages of the hardships overcome and the losses they endured to ensure freedom for the cubs to come.

As Larch and Larten led the way up the quickest and easiest path up the mountain, Rudi and his tormented people threw their heads back and howled a war cry which screeched through the night for all the forest to hear.

_**The good…. **_

Spiders began to crawl along the walls of the Ghetto halls thought the vampires no longer seemed to care. Life seemed meaningless now for them as their energy seemed to dwindle to an all-time low. Kurda hadn't broken his promise but there was only so much crackers, fruit and biscuits did for them. The miniscule amounts of food made work unbearably hard and seven had died within the tunnels these last few weeks.

They'd learnt not to grieve for the dead; they merely bowed and bid farewell, safe in the knowledge that they would join them sooner rather than later. Instead of attempting to keep surviving the vampires admitted their sins to their brethren, asking the Gods for forgiveness and singing songs of prayers as they tried to clear their souls for Paradise.

The spiders began crawling over their bodies, making their way towards the cavern entrance with a sense of purpose which the vampires seemed too desolate to notice, willing the creatures to bite them and perhaps poison them.

"Maybe we should eat them," someone croaked with a slight laugh, receiving chuckles from the other emaciated, partially dressed, skeletons.

_**and the evil…**_

The Vampaneze frantically prepared themselves for the battle ahead, quickly and without complaint. They were eager for a blood bath after Glalda's murder each was hungry to seek revenge. This wasn't going to be an easy battle but it was do able. They had Kurda and Steve to lead them to a victory and all the Resistance had was a Kingless Vancha who was no more fit to lead them than a half vampire.

They each wore similar dark grey armor which separated them from the gleaming silver of the Resistance, green capes worn by people of Vampaneze importance; Steve, Kurda, the worker Lord Marcel and a few others who had shown their worth in fighting and were highly thought of by the vampaneze people.

Swords were sharpened, knives and daggers cleaned and polished till their blades silvered from the hilt onwards. The tunnels were alive with the sound of clanking metal, orders being dished out left right and central.

"Block up the secondary entrances!"

"Lock up the workers!"

"Assemble in the hall of Khledon Lurt!"

"The Resistance are weak!"

"The King is Dead!"

"Pray to your Gods and make peace!"

"Take no prisoners!"

They lined up in the Hall of Khledon Lurt, marching towards the mountain entrance and waiting, the spearman in the front with the swordsmen and knife wielders behind, their lips watering in the anticipation of revenge for Lord Glalda and destroying Tiny's prophecy.

_**This is war**_

_**To the soldier…**_

Gavner couldn't shake the loss of his best friend from his mind as they neared home. He felt hopeless without Larten, as though he had lost the other half of his mind. It was stupid but there was a time that if Larten said to stop breathing Gavner would gladly oblige.

He pulled his red cape tightly over his metal protected shoulders and grabbed his machete like knives from the ground and slid them into his sheath, wrapped to his hip by a thick brown leather belt and sighed loudly at his reflection in the ice puddle he was standing above. His shaggy brown hair had grown back as thick as usual and his face looked fuller than what it had been like when he first broke free of the mountain over half a year ago. He was stronger; a chiseled body once more with thick beefy arms and thighs as well as having developed the ability to flit. Flitting…

Gavner recalled Larten as he flitting into the Camp, arms raised triumphantly as he overcame the greatest personal challenge he'd ever had to face. That sense of achievement, the sudden new found value of his life combined with the exhilaration of the flit, that smile on Larten's narrow jaw could be felt by every Resistance member. It was that day onwards he and the other vampires finally had their prophesized King to rule them through the hardships.

"Gavner Purl?" one of the vampaneze called, breaking Gavner from his thoughts, "Are you ready to fight?"

Gavner thought about that for a mere second, donning his helmet as a sense of duty flooded through him. Tonight he was no longer a village policeman; tonight he was a senior General whom would answer the cries of his people; wither he lived or died in the heat of battle.

_**the civillian…**_

Fane gripped the reigns of his horse tightly as the dark beast galloped at an alarming speed, sensing the urgency as it followed the wolves, the birds and the Tiger.

The boy had never witnessed a battle before, nor had he dared dream to leave the safety and seclusion of his village. His father was a farmer. His grandfather was a farmer. His great-grandfather was a preacher whilst his great-grandmother was a farmer. In short, Fane had suspected that he, too, would remain and work within the village of his youth.

Perhaps then this was the opportunity he had merely dreamed of, as his eyes caught the bobbing head of the orange haired man. Perhaps this was Fane's destiny to fight this battle, the eleven other human men beside him with their guns and blades.

It was as though some greater force had led Fane to Darren that day, a force like Destiny…

_**the martyr…**_

Arra had seen many wars in the past, fought many battles, and lost many comrades. She wasn't a stranger to loss or death. Her blood was fiery, passionate for the thrill of that final moment in the field when your blade descends and slashes off the neck of your opponent as blood gurgles from the headless body. She was addicted to her General duties. She loved nothing more on earth than the feeling of purpose, the power bestowed upon her to decide the right from the wrong.

Her reputation for a fierce warrior was what her reward for her completion of the missions her people ordered her to undergo. The proudest moment of Arra's life had been when she had executed seven vampaneze whom had been recklessly killing in Rome, in a pack sort of family. As she walked down the aisle of the Hall of Princes, drenched in sweat and blood, as the hall erupted in cheers and applause as Prince Vancha and Prince Paris stood whistling loudly their approval. There were three men who clapped the loudest for her that amazing night; one orange haired, one bulky and scarred, one blonde but very young.

She loved her boys to pieces, each for their own reasons. Gavner was trustworthy and friendly; she could tell him everything and anything in confidence that her words would go no further than him. She still remembered telling him in such a childish way that she 'like' liked Larten and he took it dead serious before mentioning that Larten felt similar though was slightly more caged.

Arra remembered Kurda on his first council; a whelp of a man with no obvious physical strength unlike the other vampires his age. However, though she teased him religiously, she admired him greatly. They argued constantly, never saw anything each other's way but still she couldn't help but love when they would meet in human cities for nights out then stay up through the day and watch crappy human television with ice cream or chocolate. It was safe to say that Kurda's cabaret personally was what Arra enjoyed about him the most as they went to the theatre together to catch shows on the West End and basicaally did the things Larten would refuse to do with her.

Larten…she loved him the most of all three of the boys. He took her abuse, took her anger and rage and remained with her like a lost but lovesick puppy. Not once did he fight back when she threw him into the wardrobe or when she shoved him and he slammed his back onto a table, resulting in occasional back pains even to this day. He had his own flaws though, constricting her and not allowing her to go out and have fun with the other vampires for fear she would leave him. Arra often wondered if the reason he liked her being with Kurda was because he had his suspicions that perhaps the well-kept man was gay; that theory went out the window when Kurda was seen snogging a vampiress one Festival. The good times outweighed the bad though it always seemed to be the bad times both parties recalled the most. Her love for Larten was forever there, burning within her soul, a blaze of both passion and lust. She loved those moments when he would sweep her of her feet, how he respected her as a feminist but still knew that deep down she liked being wooed by his gentlemanly decorum. Seba Nile had raised him well, even if he was a little bit lusting on their first few dates.

Thoughts of Larten had to be put aside briefly as she finished attaching her red cape, spying Vancha in the distance. The two had developed an unofficial bond through the loss of their loved ones. Gannen's death was still a tragic loss to the Resistance that they vowed, when Vampire Mountain was under the control of the correct race, they would rename the hall of Khledon Lurt after Gannen, for his hospitality to both the vampaneze and the vampires would forever be remembered.

Arra looked into her rucksack and sighed softly, pulling out a second red cape and a set of fancy hilted daggers. She let out a soft sigh as she touched the fabric of the cape, still soft and, in her imagination, it was still warm. The grip of the knives seemed imprinted with Larten's nails from when he'd discarded them before sprinting with his sword to save Gannen.

As she prepared herself for war, she couldn't help but hope that both she and Larten would be reunited in Paradise.

_**the victim…**_

So many good people had perished over this war, far too many. The deaths of Princes Arrow and Mika had been the first in a domino effect; their deaths saw Paris' perishing within the hall of Princes, forever guarding the stone of Blood as it sat in his skeletal grasp. The Prince's death saw an end to thousands of years of Vampire rule, the death of the mountain before the people inside slowly dropped. Mika's infamous speech still seemed to forever echo the halls of the Mountain; _"I will never let you into these Halls. You will never get the Stone. You will never get to Paris. You will never take the Vampire Spirit. We will always resist. We will always fight. We will never surrender. Even in Death may we Vampires be Triumphant!" …_

_Arrow, and the entire clan, considered himself to be the strongest vampire within the Mountain. His power and muscular build were perhaps only second to an elephant or perhaps a rhinoceros though even then no one fancied an elephant's chances in a battle with the great bald prince._

_As he battled the oncoming barrage of purple skinned monsters, Arrow even felt himself becoming over whelmed. A general, Gavner Purl, flew through the air and slit the throats of a chancing Vampaneze who had been sneaking up behind Arrow, the bald prince gasping loudly with startle._

"_Sires, come with me. We must get you out of here," Gavner ordered. The Clan was like ants in the sense that in the course of intrusion the warrior insects' first course of action was to protect their queen. In this instance Princes Mika and Arrow were the priority for in the long run their lives meant more than the likes of Darren or Larten._

_Despite his slight dim-wittedness, Arrow knew this and, though he would rather make the stand, knew Gavner was correct. He grunted and nodded, helping Gavner pull Mika from the fray as the young black haired Prince fought valiantly and beheaded four of the purple skinned curs._

"_Mika, come on!" Arrow bellowed._

"_But the fight's only just beginning!" Mika laughed bloodthirstily, "Whet your blade, brother, "_

_Gavner grabbed Mika tightly, breaking the unspoken rules of handling a prince with such savage behaviour, then __threw him forward whilst whistling for Arra and a few other Generals to help escort the Royalty free of danger. They didn't get far as Glalda and Kurda called for an end of the violence._

"_Peace!" Kurda roared with his hand held high in the air._

"_Kurda!" Larten roared, pinned down by four beastly sized vampaneze, blades pointed to the back of his neck to prevent his freedom, "Please tell me you have had nothing to do with this?"_

_Kurda fell silent but his silence spoke a billion words, his vampire brethren staring at the soon to be Prince with wide astonished eyes, "Take Mika and Arrow to the hall of Princes." He ordered as he leapt into the pit to grab Darren who just looked around him in total disarray; he was too young to understand the consequences of Kurda's actions though, by the way Mr Crepsley had snarled, he knew that his was bad._

_Gavner and Arra gasped as twelve vampaneze clubbed then to the floor before snatching Arrow and Mika effortlessly. The hall could do nothing but stare at Kurda with eyes of disgust and horror for the sins that one so respected had committed against them…._

_**This is war  
>It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie<br>The moment to live and the moment to die  
>The moment to fight, the moment to fight, to fight, to fight, to fight<br>**_

_**To the right, to the left  
>We will fight to the death<br>To the Edge of the Earth  
>It's a brave new world from the last to the first<strong>_

_**To the right, to the left**_  
><em><strong>We will fight to the death<strong>_  
><em><strong>To the Edge of the Earth<strong>_  
><em><strong>It's a brave new world<strong>_  
><em><strong>It's a brave new world<strong>_

_**A warning to the prophet….**_

Mr Tiny and Evanna sat upon the peak of Vampire Mountain, a perfect view of the stars and the beautiful black night sky as they prepared themselves for the battle ahead.

"Not long now," Tiny nodded, studying the face of his pocket watch with a horrid bloodthirsty grin. Her father love violence, a strange fetish he seemed to crave constantly which, thankfully, Evanna didn't seem to have.

"Still no sign of Larten?" she asked curiously as her eyes cast down the steep slope of the mountain worriedly. Larten's arrival made all the difference in this battle. He was the King but most importantly he was a noble man whose presence would do nothing but raise the morale of the Resistance.

"If he's not drowned, been shot, eaten by wolves or perished on the side of the mountain then he'll show up at some point," Tiny shrugged, uncaring. He was satisfied to just witness the battle ahead.

Evanna sighed and began praying for Larten. If the Resistance won tonight there would be peace, a reuniting of the Vampires and the Vampaneze. If Lord leopard and Lord Kurda won there would forever be a divide to till the vampire race became extinct and a mere memory told by the vampaneze during drunken celebrations of their victory this day.

_**the liar…**_

Steve demanded Annie, Tommy and Allan be brought into the Hall of Lords, the shackled humans seeming terrified of the large stone halls, the beefy armored men running around at great speed as they hurriedly prepared for war. Annie, particularly, looked on with fear.

"Steve? What's going on?" she asked weakly as the heavy oak doors of the Hall were open by Steve's body guards, their footsteps echoing loudly as they approached the risen platform and the thrones situated upon it. Deliberately, Steve ignored her.

"Shackle them up," Steve ordered as the guards pushed each human effortlessly upon a chair, wrapping their sore bodies in heavy metal chains which constricted their breath let alone allowed them to move. Grinning wickedly, Steve looked at Annie now, tears in her eyes as she struggled to loosen her bonds, "Sweet Annie, this is war. We've got an army of vampires coming-"

"Vampires don't exist!" Allen blurted, "It's scientifically impossible."

Steve sneered at his old friend, furious at having been interrupted and livid at being correct by someone who knew nothing about the world, only what he read in a laboratory. Slowly, Steve stalked over to Allen, terror gripping Allen's eyes as he recalled this classic Steve expression. After Darren's death, Steve seemed to almost lose himself in fitness and gothic horror novels. He never met the boys to play football, he never made any attempt to speak to he and Tommy, his only new relationship was with Annie and that had ended roughly, he never went to University nor did he go to college. Steve just seemed too focused on something that, when asked, was 'too huge for you to get!'

"What makes you think Vampires don't exist?" Steve purred madly, his elongated nails softly running along the flesh of Allen's neck, feeling his pulse speed up at the contact; he was terrified.

"It's just not logical," Allen stuttered, not backing down his point.

Steve grinned at that and made a small incision in Allen's neck, the man gasping slightly then nearly screaming when Steve placed his lips over the cut and began drawing blood from the wound, gulping it down like water.

"Steve!" Tommy yelled in complete horror, Annie bursting into tears, "Steve, stop it! We believe you!"

Steve parted, his lips crimson red and blood staining his teeth as he sneered at Allen, "There are forces out there greater than your stupid science. If I were you, I'd start listening to old wives tales once more; you might actually survive the night if you do!"

_**the honest; This is war…  
><strong>_

Darren stared coldly up at the peak of the mountain, the strangest feeling that he and his friends were being watch from aloft as they prepared themselves for battle over coming him. Darren couldn't help but run through all the various events in his life which had brought him here, the war for freedom and the right to live a life free of degradation and racial discrimination.

Had he not went to the Cirque with Steve he wouldn't be here. If he hadn't stolen Madame Octa he wouldn't be here. If he hadn't agreed to Mr Crepsley's cruel deal he wouldn't be here. If Sam Grest hadn't caught him when they went exploring he wouldn't be here. If Mr Crepsley hadn't fought the wolfman he wouldn't be here. If Murlough had just killed him on sight he wouldn't be here.

His thoughts shifted to Mr Crepsley once more. It seemed the death of the orange haired member of the foursome was on everyone's minds; they left as four but they returned as three, a thought which broke their hearts. Darren hadn't mentioned it to Gavner or Arra but he could still see Larten in his mind, on the ice, a vicious and livid expression on his face as he strangled Glalda before both were lost to the ice cold waters. What they said on the lake was a mystery and would forever remain that.

"Darren?" Arra called softly as she approached the half vampire and smiled. "You look fierce in your armor, Shan."

"Thanks," Darren smiled sadly.

"I brought you something," Arra nodded, pulling a bundle of red from behind her back, smiling tenderly as Darren averted his eyes, "I think Larten would appreciate you wearing his cape," she said, "And if you killed Kurda and the True Lord with these," from amidst the bundle of blood red Arra pulled two well-worn sheaths.

Darren lip seemed to quiver slightly as Arra helped him put the cape on before tying the knives Larten adopted from the Resistance Fort; he'd used them daily since they'd arrived at the camp so many months ago. It was strange but Darren felt a bond within the blades the minute he held them in his grasp.

"Thank you, Arra," he mumbled and forced a smile.

"It is nothing, Shan," Arra waved his gratitude away. "You do know that Gavner and I can be your teachers now, right? Larten is gone but we are still a family and Gavner and I wouldn't want to see you alone,"

Darren hadn't even thought about the fact that his teacher was dead, more concerned that his best friend had gone. He felt his heart shake though forced himself to stay calm and collected as his mentor would in such a situation, "Aye, Arra," he said, "I had every intention of bothering you and Gavner with my presence for the next thousand years, if not more."

Arra laughed and smacked his back. "Arrogant little fool. Come. Vancha wants us ready. The battle for Vampire Mountain will begin in minutes."**  
><strong>

_**To the leader…**_

Vancha made peace with the Vampire Gods before finally deciding it was time, gripping the stars embedded in a saltire of leather across his chest.

Emotions were running high, many of his strongest men looked like nothing more than frightened school boys awaiting their spell with a merciless Head Master. This was to be the Vampires finest and most probably final hour and, if death be the case, Vancha wanted his men to meet the gallant ends a vampire could dream of. There was no greater honor than to die in the blaze of a good and lengthy battle for a just deserving cause.

He contemplated taking a knife but thought better of it; Vancha saw no point in breaking his traditions and fighting armed with a knife when he was accustomed to grappling his opponents barehanded.

Outside of the way station in which Vancha had dressed in alone, his Army awaited for the final command of their leader. Dressed in the Resistance colours, Red and Silver, Vancha couldn't help but feel a great sense of pride that he had successfully created a militia who were set on fighting for their freedom.

Freedom…

Vancha grinned to himself, marching before his long line of men as they made the final uphill march in military order towards the large oak entrance of Vampire Mountain's main cave entrance point. They stood stonily still, before the door and before the bloody battle ahead of them.

Vancha could see the look of doubt in their eyes; Gannen's death had rocked them badly but the death of the King had done nothing short of splitter all hope they had. Even the Tigress that was Arra Sails seemed lacking in the blood thirst to defeat their oppressors.

With pride and nobility, Vancha turned to face his nervous comrades, somehow managing to look in the eye of each and every one of them as he stood on a boulder to overlook them, "Sons and Daughters of the Vampire Gods," Vancha yelled, his deep, husky voice echoing through the clearing and no doubt heard behind the stone fortress of Vampire Mountain, "I am Prince Vancha Hurst, the proud brother of Lord Gannen Hurst and the Last remaining vampire Prince,"

"What about Prince Paris?" Someone called nervously, masked by the fearful bodies of the Resistance.

"Aye," Vancha grinned, "I forgot that Paris Skyle survived within the Hall of Princes for seventeen years, eating the stone of Blood for nutrition," he said sarcastically then shook his head, "My brethren, if that were the case then why are we here? We are outnumbered terribly; they hold the upper ground also."

"We should run!" a second voice called. Vancha could see Arra scowling and looking behind for these fearful people, no doubt making a mental note as to who to rely on in battle.

"You can run," Vancha nodded, "and you will live today. Perhaps you will live the next day too. But in the end, you will die. And, in all those days you live will you not pray to the Gods to reverse time so you can stand here, united and in the defiance of Tyranny, and kill our enemies?" he saw their faces beginning to light up, the unanimous shriek of swords and daggers being pulled from their sheaths, "There will come a time when our best tactic will be to run and live but it is not this night. This night we stand in unification to rid ourselves of oppressors and fight for our basic right; our right to Freedom!"

_**the pariah**_…

Kurda tied his long blonde hair back, tucking it down the back of his armor before donning a metal helmet. His eyes were heavy, his heart felt like stone. In these last few days Kurda realized what he had done to his people, to his friends. In his sleep he saw Larten falling with Glalda, a needless death in Kurda's opinion.

Then again, who was he to decide what a needless death was? The vampires had once been a twelve thousand strong race, now they were whelps of perhaps five hundred at most. All those needless loses of life had been Kurda's fault; he had allowed for the Vampaneze to brutally over throw his Princes, he hadn't objected to the vampires being locked up and worked to death, the Resistance would never have started if he hadn't given it need to be born, it was Kurda that pushed for Steve to be found.

Steve.

Steve Leonard.

Lord Leopard.

The True Lord.

For one who had only been in their ranks for a good few months, Steve had established many nicknames and titles. The one that seemed to stick was Lord Leopard, the heading suited his sly and cunning personality. Kurda didn't believe in anything that Steve said and did. The final straw had been when the deluded Lord had ordered the sister of Darren Shan be brought to the Mountain along with two of the boys' old friends. It was sick to see three humans being treated as Steve had them treated, taking comfort out of their torment as he awaited the arrival of Darren and Larten.

Kurda had wept for Larten's soul but so had Steve; the Lord having wanted to be the one to make an end to a man he swore had wronged him.

"Lord Kurda, we are waiting for you now. Everyone is lined up and ready to go outside for battle," a soldier nodded, dressed in the newly created dark armor, the purple and green emblem of a Leopard on the breast plate, just as Steve had ordered they wore.

"Thank you, brother," Kurda mumbled passively, donning his purple cape and picking up his light sword, "I will be with you in a moment. Tell Lord Leopard that I am sorry to miss his gallant battle speech."

"Are you okay, my Lord?" the vampaneze asked, "Has Vancha March's speech riled you?"

"Vancha has a beautiful tongue when he tries, I have been subjected to it since I became a vampire," Kurda smiled weakly, "No go, young Sir, I will look for you in our imminent battle."

When the Vampaneze departed, Kurda prayed to the gods for his sins, begging their forgiveness only and not their mercy. He knew full well he had committed crimes that even the Lake of Souls seemed too cushioned a punishment for.

Content that he had made peace, he gathered a few throwing knives and drifted along the corridors like some sort of ghost, head bowed ever so slightly as his thoughts changed to Mr Tiny and his prophecy. Tonight, Kurda's head would roll regardless to Larten's death.

"…are weak! Now is our chance to kill them all!" Kurda looked towards Steve, the vampaneze Lord practically foaming at the mouth as he no doubt spat a message of hate to his devoted followers, "We take no prisoners tonight and, when we are finished, we will liquidize the Ghetto Halls! Tonight, my brethren, we make an end to that subhuman race that calls themselves Children of the Night! Tonight we prove why we are the only true race!" With that, the vampaneze let out a loud and vicious roar, chanting in unison a battle cry which echoed through the mountain.

Kurda winced at their blood thirst to commit what humans would refer to as an act of genocide. He watched Steve as the vampaneze took in a deep breath before bellowing the command, _**"Attack!"**_

With that stated, all Hell broke loose on the Mountainside.

_**the victim…**_

Vanez didn't mind so much as spiders crept across his tired body, their legs tickling his bare chest as they made their way out of his chamber purposefully. He wondered why they were acting so strangely, appearing in their hundreds from every crack in the wall, following each other like an army of arachnids.

He smiled weakly as he thought about Darren, Seba and Larten and their strange fascination about spiders. Personally, Vanez found them a nuisance but those three strange assistants and mentors loved them. Larten had a poisonous spider which he'd desperately ran to free after fighting off the grasp of several vampaneze. What was her name; Madam Oscar? Vanez shrugged, deciding it wasn't worth remembering.

He closed his eyes, preparing to sleep again when suddenly the sound of chants echoed through the Ghetto halls, a blood thirsty cheer and then the heavy sound of feet thundering at speed.

He could see several other vampires standing up to examine the source of the noise. They looked at Vanez for an answer, he was the senior vampire and thus they listened to him as though he were their Prince.

"Vancha," Vanez nodded, standing weakly on his emaciated legs, "I can sense his aura. Gavner is here too. By the sound of the vampaneze charging outside I would imagine Prince Vancha has brought an army."

The vampires looked at Vanez then suddenly cheered loudly;

"Freedom!" they cheered excitedly, bouncing weakly and clapping.

Their excitement was short lived as an almighty clash as the two armies collided in a horrible roar of pain and denting armour plating.

_**the Messiah…  
><strong>_

Larten grasped Larch's orange scruff tight in his fists, hearing the sound of the battle beginning from the bottom of the mountain. At the speed they were going at they would be there in a few hours, Gods willing that the path be clear for them.

"We need to hurry!" the vampire roared, Larch's speed accelerating as he bolted across the ice, heavy paws flying over the ground and a thick red tail swishing from left to right to aid the tiger's balance.

Beside them, matching their speed and probably able to go faster than the Tiger and Vampire, the twelve heavily armed humans on horseback, their rifles slung over their shoulders. Fane rode beside Larten on a skinny small mare, his mind focused on the task ahead. Larten occasionally looked at the boy's wind bitten face to see a faraway look in his eyes as he seemed deep in thought. It must be confusing for the townsmen, particularly because of their superstitious beliefs, but they trusted Fane and thus trusted Larten.

Howling and barking at the rear of the group were the wolves, a sea of thick grey and brown fur with teeth and dark eyes. They followed and endured though were preserving their energy, masters at stamina.

A screech above him told Larten that the eagles were still with them, watching from up high the battle unfolding. His focus turned back to his beloved Madam Octa, having been talking to her again as they covered more and more ground.

'_We will be there soon. Please rally more spiders. I will be there soon with my army. Keep Darren Shan safe. Keep Arra Sails safe. Keep Gavner Purl safe,_' he said telepathically, his message stuttered as Larch leapt over a log and surprising him. He received a more basic message from Octa as a sign that she was carrying out his orders. He continued to send her the same messages over and over again, drumming into her what was required. _'Wait for us. We will attack together. Keep Darren Shan safe. Keep Arra Sails safe. Keep Gavner Purl safe,'_

Ahead of them they could hear the battle, the horrific sounds of yelling and screaming, swords colliding with metal plating, orders being shouted over the chaos. Nervous, Larten felt for his sword, drawing strength from its handle almost.

This was his destiny.

This was his purpose.

He'd blooded Darren to have a reason to venture back to the Mountain after almost fifteen years.

A cry of complete and utter agony caught Larten's hearing, the Tiger speeding up even faster, beating Larten to the order. He hoped and prayed that that hadn't been Darren, Gavner or Arra.

_**This is war  
>It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie<br>The moment to live and the moment to die  
>The moment to fight, the moment to fight, to fight, to fight, to fight<strong>_

_**To the right**_  
><em><strong>To the left<strong>_  
><em><strong>We will fight to the death<strong>_  
><em><strong>To the edge of the earth<strong>_  
><em><strong>It's a brave new world<strong>_  
><em><strong>From the last to the first<strong>_

_**To the right**_  
><em><strong>To the left<strong>_  
><em><strong>We will fight to the death<strong>_  
><em><strong>To the edge of the earth<strong>_  
><em><strong>It's a brave new world<strong>_  
><em><strong>It's a brave new world<strong>_  
><em><strong>It's a brave new world…..<strong>_

**i think first and foremost I need to thank Wolfgurl6 for reading the first half of this and telling me it was okay :) Thank you so so so so much!**

**So, i know i said I would post sooner but, as always, I got side tracked and then had to work and then was pretty much in an 'assed' kind of mood with this :L**

**So I thought I woud do a songfic because this song is one that always made me think of DSS and, thus, Resistance. I hope I managed to make a semi-decent bash at it too since really it's been an insperation.**

**I need to go down and have my dinner now; Haggis and beans = YUM! If anyone wants to tell me what Haggis is made from I'd be interested in seeing who knows without Wiki or googling it ;) :L**

**thank you so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so much if you managed to read this chapter and an even bigger thank you if you have been following this story from the begining! I feel so proud that I've actually written something where my spelling hasn't been slagged off for; damn Dyslexic tendencies!**


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter Thirty Five.**

Gavner ducked quickly, an axe slicing over his helmet and missing him by inches, lunging forward and tackling his attacker to the ground. A knife in the neck saw a fitting death to that particular vampaneze just as a second smashed Gavner with a club at the side of his face. The vampire staggered backwards, tripping over someone's shield, landing on his back as the vampaneze approached bloodthirstily.

He felt for his knife, cursing when he saw it lying still in the neck of his third kill.

"Invading our Mountain, eh?" the vampaneze teased, pulling back the mace he held in his hands.

"You get what you deserve," Gavner laughed, wincing as the mace began its decent.

"Fuck sake!" Darren roared, shunting Gavner's attacker into the blade of some random vampire who disposed of him then turned to attack someone else, "Watch where you walk!" the half vampire roared furiously, rejoining the fray in a way Larten would be proud.

Gavner had no time to reflect on the dead as he, too, rejoined the grips of battle, tussling with anyone and everyone he could after, of course, picking up the knife he had carelessly thrown away.

Disposing of her forth vampaneze, Arra was clearly showing off. She was an arrogant fighter by nature, everyone knew that, but it seemed that in the heat of battle that cockiness hadn't evaded her. Without so much as breaking a sweat, Arra's knife flew through the air, colliding with the forehead of a purple skinned retch, her heel ramming into the crotch of another vampaneze before kicking his face effortlessly.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Darren immersing himself in the fighting, his slightly smaller stature meaning he could manoeuvre himself faster and lower than the vampaneze. He was amazing with his mentor's knives, his fight more like a dance in which he was leading.

Gavner was faring well, too. He was slower to kill than her and Darren but he was coping. She caught him also gazing back at Darren, making sure he was still on his feet; the family worked as a unit and would thus always look out for each other.

"Kurda!" Vanhca snarled furiously, charging over to the Vampaneze Lord, leaping over the dead and wounded as his eyes fixed on the blonde haired traitor, "Murderer!" he screamed like a mad man, his feelings over the loss of Gannen portrayed in his maddened expression. He was stopped by several Vampaneze forced to defend himself and fight before he could get anyway near Kurda.

Kurda watched his former Prince's violent and savage fighting, ripping into the Vampaneze as he desperately fought to get to Kurda. A guard slashed Vancha's shoulder badly, the Prince only having two hands to hold back the barrage of swords and daggers which attacked him.

"Sire!" one of Gannen's men called, running up to Vancha's sight and attacking Kurda's guards with him, the purple skinned Resistance not afraid to slice away at men who had once been friends and allies of the same breed.

Vancha grinned at the Guards unsure expression, not wanting to hack their own kind to bits. They parried his sword rather than attack him, catching his cheek and nothing more whilst they laid into Vancha, desperate to be the ones who killed the last Prince.

It came as a shock that Kurda was the one who threw a knife at Vancha's sparring partner, the vampaneze resistance member dropping to the floor as the knife cut deep into his skull, killing him in seconds. Vancha met Kurda's eyes, furiously glaring at the traitor.

"Vancha!" Arra roared, tackling her prince to the floor as a stray spear flew overhead, narrowly missing Kurda as the coward dropped and rolled in a ball whilst his guards recomposed themselves.

Vancha and Arra hurriedly scampered to their feet, avoiding a falling axe as they staggered over blood, bodies and wounded men frantically licking their wounds. "Sire! What the fuck were you playing at?" Arra shrieked furiously as the two made to the side line, panting slightly as they watched the bloodshed from a distance.

"Gannen," was all Vancha could say, mustering the word with venom.

"So? I've lost my fucking soul mate, the one and only man I have ever been with and I'm not making rookie mistakes on the battle field!" Arra roared at him, screaming in his face, "You are a Prince first and a brother second! Get your fucking act together and lead us to victory!"

Vancha leered at Arra but saw she was right. His own personal feelings were squashed as he glared at the battlefield. Though outnumbered, the Resistance were holding their own, pushing the vampaneze back into the mountain. The majority of the dead were Kurda's men, the Resistance trained to physical perfection for this moment.

Arra nodded to the entrance, the vampaneze seeming to retreat back within the walls of the mountain, "Lets push onwards. We can't give them a single moment to regroup and recover."

"Aye," Vancha nodded, pulling a star from his chest plate and lunching it at one of the retreating vampaneze, "Push forward men!" he ordered, the Resistance regrouping quickly and marching forward like a wall, using their armour and those with shields to make a turtle shell, similar to the Romans. In unison, they pushed forward. Arra could see Gavner had found his way to the front of the formation as she and Vancha joined the end.

_**Meanwhile…**_

Steve readied himself for battle, unable to believe his eyes as the Resistance pushed their way into the mountain in their Tortoise formation. A few Vampaneze daringly made a go to break through the metallic shell but were effortlessly hacked down, their bodies trampled on without a second thought by the Resistance.

Kurda was by his side, sweating slightly from having been involved in the fighting outside. He looked up at the True Lord and nodded a good luck as all Hell broke loose.

Vancha roared an order and within seconds the Resistance had broken apart and lunged at the vampaneze, tackling them to the floor effortlessly to begin with before they had a chance to regroup in stronger numbers.

"Vancha!" Gavner roared, "The workers!"

"Aye!" Vancha nodded, "Take Darren and sprint!"

Gavner nodded, groaning when he caught the butt of someone's sword on the back of the head. He grabbed the shoulder of the sparring half vampire, dragging him forward through the fighting.

"Where are we going?" Darren growled, "The vampaneze are back that way!"

"To free the workers!" Gavner nodded at the satchel Darren had been intrusted with, leading him by the fighting. They caught sight of the True Lord briefly, lord Leopard, but not enough to see his face and identify him correctly.

Together they sped through the Halls, dodging Vampaneze when they strayed too close to them. It felt so strange to be back, Darren couldn't help but remember when he, Larten and Gavner had arrived at the mountain the first time round. They were welcomed into the Halls, they met Seba and ate Bat Broth and were treated like royal guests. Now they were being attacked.

"It stinks down here," Gavner groaned as they neared the Ghetto Halls. There had always been a strong whiff around these chambers but never before had it been this bad; a strong smell of faeces and disease. It was horrible, sickening his stomach.

"Hey!" The Ghetto guards roared, pulling out their swords, "Who are you? You are not allowed in here!"

Gavner grabbed Darren and threw him straight into one guard whilst Gavner made a lunge for the second, their blades spearing the guards before they could react.

Allowing the bodies to drop to the floor, Gavner and Darren ran through into the dank tunnels, Gavner leading the way, "Hello? Vanez? Anyone? Hello!" they roared loudly.

A horrible feeling of dread slivered into Darren's stomach; had the remaining vampire species been liquidized?

"Gavner?" a croaking voice called from within one of the stone rooms, "Is that you?"

Both Darren and Gavner couldn't believe the state of the old games Master; the once full and healthy vampire only half of the man he used to be. He had no trousers though his dignity was covered by his dress-like shirt which hung over his emaciated form lifelessly. His legs had once been rippled with muscles, calves which would break a man's neck in a wrestling match, but now he had too thin tree branches connecting to a pair of oversize wooden clogs.

"Vanez!" Gavner gasped, tightly embracing the skeleton.

"You came back for us," Vanez wheezed weakly.

"Of course," Gavner laughed, ushering Darren over. The half vampire delved into his satchel and pulled out a large vial of blood, handing it to Vanez's spider thin hands. With Gavner's help the frail vampire opened the vial and downed the liquid, licking the glass for every last drop.

"I have not drunk in weeks," Vanez panted slightly, Darren offering him a second, "They want us weak."

"Where are the others?" Darren asked, looking around the ghostly Halls.

"There's only fifty of us now," Vanez said slightly more clearer, the blood taking effect swiftly, "Most perished with typhoid,"

Both Gavner and Darren's faces expressed expression of horror; when they had left there had been nearly five hundred well and fit workers let alone the other hundreds. In almost a year there were only fifty left and no doubt as ill as Vanez.

A loud bang caused the three to jump, the violence in the halls above growing more ferocious. "Through here," Vanez nodded, leading them towards the stench, "We are all here,"

Grasping the bag of blood, Darren hurriedly followed Gavner into the heart of the diseased halls, the state of his co-workers looking, blatantly, like the Jews, Roma and Homosexuals within a Nazi death camp.

"Darren," Gavner said, holding a hand out for the bag as a second loud bang echoed through the halls, "Head back to the fight and tell Vancha I am going to get these poor bastards outta here," he nodded as the blood was quickly distributed, "They stand more of a chance if a full vampire takes them away."

"What track down the mountain will you take?" Darren asked, already heading for the door.

"We'll go down the slope, it's more open but quicker and less effort for this lot," Gavner waved an arm over the skeletons licking up every last drop of blood they could.

"Luck, Gav," Darren bowed.

"Luck, Shan," Gavner called as he delved into the bag for blankets and clean water bottles.

_**Meanwhile…**_

Vancha's sword caught Kurda's, a spray of blinding blue sparks flying from their connected blades.

"Let my people go!" Vancha roared leaping after Kurda as the traitor leapt backwards up upon a balcony stand in the games Hall.

"I can't do that!" Kurda called, parrying the Prince's blows though not daring to hit back hard.

"Arrrgh!" Vancha snarled, his sword raining down and narrowly missing the blonde vampire. Their sparring match was becoming the centre of attention, the Resistance having taken control of the Games Halls, the vampaneze unable to aid their Lord despite their attempts. "I should never have trusted you! You dirty little worm! I fucking put my neck on the line for you to get in power! You've made me a laughing stock! Mika, Arrow, Paris will be spitting on you as we speak you snivelling little cur!" He threw his sword into Kurda's arm, splintering the metal and cutting into the traitor's flesh.

"Vanch-aarrgh!" Kurda screeched, dropping his sword and tumbling to his knees, blood gushing from his wounded arm. He gasped as Vancha fisted his hair, slamming the traitor's face against the harsh stone wall.

"You little cur!" Vancha snarled, Kurda's blood spitting on his armour and hands as the vampire relentlessly pounded Kurda against the wall, "You killed my brother!"

"They weren't my orders!" Kurda hissed in agony.

"You never said no!" Vancha spat, "Larten and Gannen are dead because of you! You killed your own men!"

Kurda snarled, hand tightly grasping a sharpened piece of splintered rock and slamming it into Vancha's metal plated chest. Without a second thought, he swiped Vancha's legs from beneath him and threw him backwards off the balcony, staggering to his feet as he heard the vampire clatter to the ground beneath before he struggled to flit from the Games Hall.

Arra and a few others fought to Vancha's side, prying the chipped stone from his side and stemming the blood with a piece of cloth.

"Can you walk?" Arra growled, inspecting the wound and spitting into it to attempt to heal it.

"Aye," Vancha hissed, "Just a flesh wound. That bastard's dead," he sat up and took a swig of ale brought to him in a leather purse, drinking deeply before being helped to his feet. He looked around at the Resistance, counting heads briefly.

So far they had taken the outside of the Mountain, the Games Hall and the Hall of Kheledon Lurt, the Vampaneze having retreated deeper into the strong hold. Casualties had been high for them more than they had for the Resistance, the Guardians of Blood creeping out from their cubby holes to begin cleaning up the massive pools of blood and drifting dead bodies.

**Hello everyone :)**

**So this was an effort to write. I cut the tips of all my fingers -spare my thumbs!- at work when I was sorting the plastic runners along the shelves. If anyone's had a paper cut, times the pain by 5 because plastic cuts are deeper and often messier ):**

**So I've had to stop writing completely till they scarred and putting pressure on them wasn't complete murder.**

**Anyways, that's my reason for such a late reply. I decided that the battle scene was going to be too long to have on one chapter so I'm breaking it up. I made a start on chapter Thirty Six so I'll try and have it up sooner rather than later -there's no excuse now!**

**Thank you as always**

**Preston (:**


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter Thirty six.**

Steve paced through the violence, not fighting anyone but somehow not bothered by other fighters. A wicked grin crept across his narrow jaw, blood splattering his chops and speckling his steal-coloured hair. His eyes narrowed as he witnessed a burly Resistance man stalking slowly along one of the tunnels, the entire maggot workforce behind him.

Pulling out a knife, Steve waited like a hunting leopard, eyes fixed on the man and his every single step.

"Vanez, hurry the stragglers on, we're almost outta her-arggh!"

Steve launched his knife, the blade slicing through the air and snagging right between the Resistance's shoulder blades. Laughing cruelly, Steve revelled in the terrified expressions of the workers, literally urinating their already soiled trousers at having been caught escaping.

"Gavner," Vanez gasped, crouching by the stricken vampire cur, trying to stem the blood with his emaciated fingers, "What do we do?"

Steve grinned at this Gavner fellow on the floor, breathing heavily as blood oozed from his wound. When the vampire looked into Steve's eyes, the Lord could see life was already dimming; the knife had been fatal.

"Gavner?" Vanez asked again, shaking his shoulder softly, fear in his voice, "What do we do?"

"You go back to the Ghettos and hope that I don't decide to gas you for this treachery," Steve spat, throwing a second knife and hacking down one of the bonier vampires, the skeletal beast dropping to his knees and dying in seconds. Steven looked up at the others who shook in fear, "Are you still here?"

"Gavner!" Darren gasped, appearing from one of the side tunnels having gotten lost in his maddened dash to locate the others.

"Darren," Gavner croaked, adrenaline suddenly surging through his body at the sight of the orphaned assistant, "Run,"

Though, Darren never heard the order, eyes transfixed on the man who had thrown the blade, the murderous Lord, his old best friend.

"About fucking time, Shan!" Steve cheered, clapping his hands excitedly, "I have been waiting for you and Creep Crepsley to hurry up and get here!"

Horror donned on Darren, recalling Gannen declaring to the Resistance that the True Lord had been found. Lord Leopard. Never once had Darren made the connection between Steve and Lord Leopard but now he seemed idiotic to have not realized.

"You," he hissed, pulling Mr Crepsley's knife out from the sheath, eyes narrowing as he adopted a fighting stance.

"Aye, Shan," Steve boomed, bowing to him before pulling out his own hunting knife, a length of barbed rope in his other hand.

"You killed Mr Crepsley," Darren snarled.

"He killed me," Steve retorted instantly, spitting at the mere mention of Larten.

"You killed you," Darren grinned, "Your black soul absorbed all that was ever good about you, you dirty, evil, whelp of a Cur,"

"I'm not evil!" Steve roared, lunging upon Darren, landing on his chest and punching the vampire's face, "Take that back now!" he yelled pointing in his face, "Take that back now or God help me-"

"Never!" Darren laughed, kicking Steve crudely, causing the vampaneze to wince and shout in pain before being thrown off the vampire's chest. Darren spared no seconds and pounced forward with an attacking stroke, stabbing Steve's forearm.

"Dirty bastard," Steve snarled, kicking Darren away and creating distance between them.

"Takes one to know one," Darren mocked childishly, making a dash to catch the vampaneze as he bolted away suddenly, fleeing from the fray. Instantly, Darren made to run after him bloodthirstily, desperate to avenge his mentor, though stopped when he heard Gavner call him.

"D-darren?" Gavner croaked, forcing himself to sit upright, leaning forward slightly to prevent moving the dagger further in to his back, "Kill that Cur for Larten," he growled firmly, staring deep into Darren's eyes, the half vampire staring back with that same burning flame that a tempered Larten had.

"Can you get these people outside?" Darren asked collectively, indicating to the workers.

"I will," Gavner said firmly, wincing as Darren helped him to his feet. Shakily, with Vanez help, Gavner stood weakly, "Promise me you will tell Arra that I love her," he nodded, "Tell her that we'll be waiting for her in paradise." Darren didn't need to know who 'we' were, Gavner hadn't really been his complete joyful self since the death of his best friend.

"You will tell her yourself," Darren said emotionally, "Even if I have to carry you to her, you will tell her yourself,"

"Maybe," Gavner croaked in pain, smirking at Darren as they both stood, tears in their eyes. Each knew that that blade was in deep and that Gavner was losing too much blood for it to not prove fatal. This was going to be their last goodbye for sure.

"Luck, Gavner. Even in Death may you be triumphant," Darren nodded, performing the Death's Touch. He turned and ran after Steve, vengeance in his heart, swallowing his greif.

As he ran he could hear Gavner's words echoing after him as he yelled loudly, "He will never take the Vampire Spirit. We will always resist. We will always fight. We will never surrender. Even in Death may we Vampires be Triumphant!"

**)':**

**So this is a short chapter but I think it's an important one. If I had posted the next chapter in this chapter as well then I think it might have taken effect away from Gavner's slight predicament. **

**Please PM me what you think, I hope I did Gavner justice here; he's one of my favourite characters in the saga.**

**Thank you for all the reviews so far, I promise I'm almost done!**

**Preston (:**


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter thirty seven.**

Darren sped through the halls and tunnels of the mountain, following the pungent stench of Steve's blood, fury boiling in the half vampire's blood as he chased the Lord relentlessly. As he ran he had to leap over a sea of marching spiders, their tiny legs scuttling purposefully towards the main fight. If he was perhaps thinking straight Darren may have stopped to wonder about the strange anomaly which was a horde of spiders marching past in military precision.

Steve grinned over his shoulder, slowing to a mere walking pace as he arrogantly entered the Hall of Lords. A few vampaneze guards instantly saluted him, their eyes gazing into his as they silently asked him for answers about the on-going battle they were not allowed to witness first hand.

"We're losing," Steve said almost joyfully, hopping up upon on of the pews, drawing a cutlass from its sheath, "You can go if you want," he shrugged, "If I'm honest I have no time for you sorts; I have an old foe to confront. He will be arriving just…about…now."

"Steve!" Darren barked, teeth gritted together as he perspired and panted with rage. The guards rose their weapons to strike Darren down though were stopped by Steve.

"Ah-Ah-Ah," Steve grinned wickedly, "He's with me."

"My Lord," a guard bowed, indicating for the others to fall back into the shadows, awaiting this small though momentous battle that would surely follow.

"Why do you get to be called a 'Lord'?" Darren spat, "You're no Lord. Your barely even a man,"

"Oooh," Steve giggled evilly, the full extent of his insanity present in his stealing blue eyes, "At least I'm better than a vampire; they're bellow a man," Darren growled once more, putting Mr Crepsley's knives away and pulling out his own short sword, the dim orange flames of the candles dancing along the reflection of the blade. Steve took no notice but instead pointed to three bulges in the cavern's walls, concealed by thick cloth fabrics, "If you'd can peel your eyes from my face for one moment I will show you what you stand a chance of winning tonight," he sounded somewhat like a game show host which was never good; Steve played sick games, the only kid in the playground to actually chase ants with a magnifying glass.

"Stop fucking around," Darren snapped, hopping on to opposite side of the pew, his mentor's red cape snapping behind him just as Steve's green clock did the same.

"Watch me," Steve retorted, clicking his fingers at one of the guards who went to remove the clocks. "Behold! Allen Morris, Tommy Jones and Annie Shan!"

Darren's eyes snapped up at the unconscious people suspended by chains against the wall, their heads drooped lifelessly. Their breathing was soft but deep; they'd been gassed asleep, Darren was sure, having seen countless of Mr Crepsley's meals express the same sort of lifelessness when the orange haired vampire fed.

"You're a monster," Darren gasped, shaking his head.

"So everyone keeps telling me," Steve laughed madly, swiping his sword and catching Darren's as the two fenced like professionals on the thin beamed pews.

_**Meanwhile…**_

Vancha hurried through towards the Hall of Princes, stars in his hands as he attacked anyone who stood in his way. He needed the Stone of Blood; it had to be destroyed. If by some miracle the vampaneze made it into the Hall of Princes the entire clan would be doomed.

"We must make haste," Arra scowled her Prince as he studied the unfamiliar statues of vampaneze warriors which stood in place of the old stone carvings of epic battle scenes and triumphant vampires, "Hurry!"

Vancha complied, following the vampiress as she effortlessly jogged through the tunnels, "You know, Larten was a lucky man," he smirked as he watched her spitting out blood that had travelled into her mouth from a broken nose.

"He always liked a dominatrix," Arra retorted with a grin.

Vancha laughed at that, "When this is done, Arra, if you and I are still standing I will nominate you to become the first Vampire Princess." He laughed at Arra's disgusted expression.

"I would sooner be called Matriarch Arra," the vampiress stated, leaping over a dead Resistance member.

They hurried down the pathway to the Hall of Princes, the dull orb-like force field surrounding the vampire stronghold seemed almost dead to Vancha, so used to the throbbing pulse it produced. His mind travelled to memories of Paris and his fellow Princes, recalling his first encounter with the Vampire hub.

"Almost there!" Vancha grinned, not flitting but enjoying his run; flitting took up crucial energy and there was still a battle to fight. He licked his lips in anticipation, readying himself to come face to face with his place of work once more.

Arra, too, was growing excited. Gavner had seen to the workers and so if she and Vancha could destroy the stone they could leave and start again, a new colony of vampires someplace far from this mountain of death and sin.

They continued to run, eyes on the prize. Overhead, in the higher chambers, they could hear the bloody screams of the battle and thus hesitated to continue onwards, guilt washing over them. Vancha turned and nodded at Arra, "Go back and fight with our brethren you, Gavner and Darren are symbols of hope to our people now. If you go, I'll get the stone and destroy it. Okay?"

Arra watched his uncertainly but nodded, threw her arms around him for a tight embrace then let go, smiling sadly, "Luck Vancha,"

"Luck, Arra,"

_**Meanwhile… **_

Steve and Darren fought bravely like Pirates; it seemed more like a game than a real fight to the death. Steve could see Darren was thinking the same thing, his sword swiping Darren's before the vampire returned and struck forward.

"Go on then, Shan," Steve laughed, breaking the lengthly silence that had befallen over their fighting, "What character are you?"

Darren wanted to laugh, his mind rewinding to the duels and battles he and his friends had had on the football pitch years and years ago, back when they were all still innocent. "You choose first," he smirked, catching Steve's sleeve.

"I will be Captain Jack Sparrow," Steve beamed madly, "The underdog of the seven seas. Annie can play Elizabeth, Tommy and Allan can play those two buffoons. You know the ones I mean? One was fat and the other eyeless and tall?"

"Aye," Darren grinned, remembering having this exact conversation with Steve in has back garden after watching the Black Pearl together.

"What character do you want? You could play Barbosa? Maybe Will?" Steve pressed, his conversing causing him to make slower jabs and stupid mistakes.

The vampire suddenly launched his sword at Steve, causing the boy to pivot to the side too quickly and fall ever so slightly.

That mere slip was all Darren needed, pulling Mr Crepsley's knives from their sheath and pouncing on Steve, blades at his throat, "I am going to play the orange haired vampire who removes you from this earth after a lengthily reign of tyranny and terror over innocent people, you evil little brat!"

"_**I'm not evil!" **_Steve shrieked, wrestling under the weight of Darren.

The halls suddenly opened up, a vampaneze running in, "Sir! The Resistance are in _the Hall_ now!"

Darren frowned. There were hundreds of halls in the mountain. What was 'the hall'?

In his puzzlement, Steve kicked Darren off, running forward a few yards to make a slight distance between the savage vampire. His hand delved into his coat and pulled out what seemed to be a remote control device, Steve's manic laughter and deranged wild eyes told Darren that that was not for a television.

"Do you like fireworks, Darren?" Steve asked then laughed, shaking his head, "Opps. I forgot you were a total pussy who cuddled his mummy on bonfire night,"

"Shut up," Darren growled then gasped as realization donned on him. "No," he whimpered as Steve went to press the button, "_**No!**_"

The button pressed.

An explosion sounded.

Then a second.

Finally a third.

Screaming, Darren could hear them all shouting out in agony as Steve detonated a bomb within the hall the Resistance had taken. There was a horrific boom as stone and brick fell and the entire mountain shook as it appeared to cave in on itself.

Darren stared at the murderous man in horror; Mr Crepsley had been right all this time.

_**In the Hall of Princes…**_

The first explosion had taken Vancha and Arra by surprise, both jumping to the floor. However it was the second and third explosions which proved catastrophic to them both. The ceiling caved in, rocks the size of SUV's rained down upon them, both vampires screaming out in shock and running swiftly towards the exit.

Arra stumbled ever so slightly, a smaller rock slamming into her head and causing her to double over and fall. She groaned, rolled onto her back just to see the largest rock of her life hurtling towards her. She braced herself, biting her lip for the fatal impact when suddenly someone scooped her up and threw her out of the door. The rock collided with that someone, squishing them as bones cracked and organs compressed in a sickly sound.

Dazed, Arra took a moment to come round, her eyes surveying the damage of the hall of Princes. Realization donned on her when she realized she had been saved by the only vampire present. A terrible bloodcurdling shriek emitting from her bloodied lips;

"_**VANCHA!"**_

**I wanted Steve to do something terrible, something evil and murderous and so I thought that maybe his evil mind would have saw to the rigging of a certain hall and detonating the explosives just as the opposing army march onwards.**

**As for Vancha's death, I thought it would be appropriate that he should die saving his beloved Resistance, freeing himself to be with Gannen once more.**

**Next chapter soon; thank you all so much for the support you've given me to write this. I swear at the end I will write down the names of everyone who reviewed and thank you all personally. It means that much to me.**

**Preston (:**


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter Thirty Eight**

Arra didn't wait for the dust to set as she desperately dug for Vancha, her breath caught in her throat as she struggled with the heavier rocks and ceiling debris.

"Vancha? Vancha? Vancha?" she repeated over and over again, her bloody cheeks streaked with mournful tears as she spied the ripped remains of Prince Vancha March's cape, stained with his blood. She tore it from under the rubble, burying her face into the dirty red fabric as terrible, heartfelt sobs shook through her entire body.

The hall was alive with the Resistance, struggling to free their aching bodies from the caved in walls and roof. Moonlight glared down upon the desperate scene, a huge chunk of the mountain now missing. Arra walked through the mess, tears in her eyes as she physically shook. Not every Resistance member had been injured, some had narrowly missed the explosions whilst the others clearly had the luck of the vampire Gods on their side. Still, the majority were wounded, some too hurt to dig themselves free and so relied on the surviving vampires and vampaneze to aid them.

When their eyes saw Vancha's tattered cape in the defeated Vampiress' clasp their hope died.

Gannen was gone.

Larten was gone.

Vancha was gone.

The three men the Resistance needed had all perished so what hope did the others have?

Kurda made an appearance, having taken shelter with his men. He looked down at the distressed Resistance and growled to his army, "Take them all to the Hall of Lords." His voice was gruff but all that was required to crush his former allies as the Vampaneze arrested each and every one of the survivors.

"Are you okay?" Someone asked Arra, worry in his tone. Arra looked up, a metal helmet concealing his face from her as his arms were twisted behind his back. Arra was curious as to why he wore a helmet when he faced imminent death. That said many of the Vampaneze Resistance had worn helmets so that their old friends could not distinguish them in battle.

She nodded wordlessly, clenching Vancha's cape tightly.

The masked man nodded at the cloak, "Vancha's?"

"Aye," Arra croaked, fear gripping her as she, too, was led off, forced to leave Vancha's clock behind as she was marched with the fifty other survivors.

_**In the Hall of Lords…**_

Darren had tears in his eyes as he watched the Resistance pour into the hall, their heads bowed as the Vampaneze held spears to their sides to prevent acting out. Of course, they never did. They were defeated.

"Arra," Darren cried, holding the battered Vampiress tightly as she was forced to sit beside him, thankful to have her by his side once more. His arm ached from being restrained after Steve detonated the bomb, he'd been weeping ever since; not from pain but from lost. The fifty standing Resistance members looked equally as rough. When he couldn't find Vancha, Darren's heart sunk further and fresh tears poured down his cheeks.

"Gavner got stabbed," he whispered to Arra, voice croaking, "He led the workers out but…but the wound's fatal. He told me to tell you he loves you," Arra's zombie like expression worried Darren; her face was a blank canvas. "He said," Darren sniffed, "They'll be watching over you."

Arra's face was still dull, as though she had hit an all-time low and thus could not sink lower into depression. "Vancha perished," was her response, "He-"

"Silence!" Steve roared, standing at the front of the Hall, arms outstretched as his men cheered in awe; they'd won. "Now, since our workforce has escaped I am tempted to put you all to the Ghettos to slave away till you die but we as a Nation need to look at the consequences that would lead to- the most probable being a second revolution! No one wants that," he grinned wickedly, laughing manically for a brief moment, "For that reason you will all be executed, tonight."

The hall didn't respond, only accepted their fate much to Steve's annoyance; he wanted controversy.

Kurda took over, the traitor looking battle beaten despite the fact that he had spent most of the fight in the safety of four burly guards. He glared out upon the Resistance, feeling both guilty and angry; they had been his friends but they had also invaded his home and tried to fulfil Tiny's prophecy, thus leading to his beheading.

"Do you have anything you would like to add?" he asked emotionlessly, detaching himself from what was about to be done. Steve clasped Kurda's shoulder, smirking as he eagerly stared out upon the faces of the doomed Resistance.

No one stirred immediately. There seemed to be no heroic words; all had succumbed to their fate.

Someone stood in the middle row.

All eyes turned to him, Arra frowning; the Helmet man seemed to have something to say. Awkwardly he climbed over the other Resistance members till he was in the aisle, staring forward. "I have something I would like to say."

Steve grinned, gesturing him forward, "Come closer, my masked fellow. What do you want to say to your people?"

The man turned and faced the curious Resistance, Darren's eyes boring through the visor to try and catch a glimpse of the man's eyes. Of course he couldn't see who was addressing them, nor did he care. All he had left in this world was Arra and, judging by how broken she was, he doubted he would have her for as long as he hoped.

"Your head will roll, Kurda," the man growled suddenly. He hadn't moved, just stood proudly, almost, before the Lords.

Steve looked at the masked man and laughed cruelly, "Is this some sort of a joke?" he pointed at the lone man, his maddened cackle echoing through the whole hall, ringing in Arra's ears as she squeezed her eyes tightly. She couldn't cope with more death anymore. The masked man turned around to the depleted Resistance, Darren watching him as he draped an arm over Arra's shoulders protectively.

"I do not have to tell you things are bad; surely by now everyone knows this. Our enemies are bigger than us, greater than us and more stable than us. The world is a hard and scary place and we, as a nation, were too proud to take notice of it," The man shouted passionately upon the masses, the Lord's shifting behind him uneasily.

"Stand down," Steve growled though the man ignored him and continued on.

"We must put aside our petty differences and come together as Partisans to a common cause and not Vampaneze and Vampire. When we rise and when we fall, when we sink and when we swim we must now do this as a unit and not as two different races," the shouted, "I see the same fear in yours eyes as I feel gnawing my own heart. We are not inferior. We can still fight our way back from this." The man rallied, his voice growing more and more assertive as he went on. He took in a deep breath then began to literally shout at the Resistance, "I am as mad as Hell and I will not stand for this anymore. I choose to fight them till my blood spills on the earth and stone of my Mountain! I choose to rise free than fall suppressed! I choose life and not death!" a hand ripped the helmet from the rioter, the tin mask being thrown to the floor in a passionate sweep.

The entire hall gasped in utter shock, confronted by a matted crop of blazing orange hair, a set of burning, maddened eyes and a scar which had become iconic to those of the Resistance who fought for freedom.

Darren could feel Arra tighten her grasp on his arm, her expression just as awe-inspired as his.

"Crepsley!" Steve spat, grabbing his sword and making towards the King as all the vampaneze did, their weapons expanded to kill the elusive King as his wild orange mane fell back over his neck, angling his face to the ceiling as he let out the single most aggressive wolf howl.

The Vampaneze seemed slightly shocked of his animalistic outcry but continued onwards until they heard a second howl, not coming from Larten.

The large oak doors of the Hall of Lords broke open as Mother nature herself seemed to charge into the Hall; wolves, boars, deer, raptors, snakes, squirrels, spiders, the entire animal life of the mountain seemed to have collaborated forces, despite going against Darwin, and attacking the purple skinned vampaneze instantly.

At the fore front of the entourage padded Larch, the tiger carrying in his mouth the King's sword, amazing the Resistance as Larten swung effortlessly upon the blazing orange beast's shoulders and charged towards Kurda.

"Resistance, Fight!" one of Gannen's men ordered as suddenly a new power emerged within the Resistance, a sort of second wind befalling them as the grabbed whatever they could to use as a weapon and fought back once more.

Darren was amazed when he heard gunshots and spied Fane expertly firing a riffle on horseback as his mare kicked out at the Vampaneze curs that strayed too close. Other human men he had arrived with were doing the same, shooting down the dirty playing vampaneze in a death that suited them perfectly. A sudden scuttling sound could be heard as millions of spider legs climbed down from the roof, Darren instantly spying Madam Octa; the biggest of the arachnids. Octa…

That must have been how Mr Crepsley had directed the animals, Darren decided, laughing at the sly old dog his mentor was and lunged into the fray.

Steve seemed to have disappeared completely from the battle scene otherwise Larten would have gone for him. In his absence Kurda was the next best thing.

The blonde vampire's head snapped around and a horror stricken expression washed over him as Larch's heavy paws pounded upon his chest, knocking him to the floor. The tiger's jaws snapped viciously above Kurda's face, the traitor wincing at the foul smell of meat.

"L-L-L-L-L-Larten," Kurda started before he was cut off by Larch hissing, saliva spraying from the beast's mouth.

Larten climbed off of Larch's back, his sword firmly in his hand as his eyes blazed down upon Kurda, still held under the weight of his orange haired brethren.

"I am going to make good on my promise," Larten spat, the apex of the sword rested firmly on Kurda's throat. The traitor didn't bother fighting him; Tiny had been right about everything, why not this?

"Make it quick," Kurda growled, staring death in the face as Larten's arms pulled back.

"I will but you do not deserve a swift death, you bastard. Your body shall be drawn and quartered. I will personally emasculate you," Larten sneered wickedly, "You will be disembowelled and your bodily parts will be split up across the entire world. You will not get to Paradise. You do not deserve it; you treacherous bastard."

"You're starting to sound like Steve," Kurda laughed, shaking his head, "Just do it already."

"Do not think I will not," Larten snarled, hesitating to make the killing.

"Larten, I would rather you killed me than being sent to the Stakes. Please," Kurda smiled, tears in his eyes as he looked up at the Vampire King, "Do it."

Larten squeezed his eyes closed, fighting his own tears as his mind travelled…

"_I really cannot take it anymore, Kurda," a young Larten groaned, crashing on Kurda's sofa, shaking his head as he squeezed the bridge of his nose. "I am not sure I want to complete the General studies. I do not think being a General is what I want in life."_

_Kurda sighed, leaning against his coffin, "You really haven't been yourself lately. What's really bothering you?"_

_Larten's face fell and he looked away._

_For a long length of time he was silent, his expression unreadable then, suddenly, Kurda could see his jaw begin to quake, the vampire's lips thinning into a small line. A shaky hand stretched up and covered his face, "I miss Wester," he croaked, Kurda leaping from his coffin and kneeling beside Larten._

_Kurda squeezed his shoulder tightly, "It's okay to miss someone," he soothed, "No one's expecting you to be okay. He was a son to Seba, a brother to you."_

"_I just miss him so much," Larten's voice went high and flat, leaning over and burying his face in Kurda's shoulder._

"_I know," Kurda sniffed, Larten's devastation bringing him to tears. It was rare Larten would show this much emotion and Kurda felt honoured that he was comfortable to be held and mothered by him as he wept loudly for his dead brother…_

"Larten, look at me," Kurda growled, his eyes firmly boring into the hesitant vampire, "I'm going to die anyway. I would rather it was by your doing."

Larten's tears were flowing freely now as he pulled the sword back, "I am sorry Kurda,"

"Don't be," Kurda smiled.

Larten dropped his arms.

The sword plummeted down.

A horrible noise echoed through the hall.

Larch bowed his head; blood gushing from Kurda's decapitated torso and staining his paws. He turned and leapt back into the fight, leaving Larten to gaze sickly at the blonde matted hair of his former friend. He threw his sword to the floor and turned sharply. Arra hadn't moved from where he had last seen her.

"Arra," he croaked, smiling as he steped off the platform and walked towards her, throwing his arms tight around her shoulders as he buried his face into her neck.

"I thought you were dead!" Arra sobbed, squeezing him tightly, not letting go, "I thought I'd lost you!"

"I am so sorry," Larten smiled thinly, kissing her neck over and over again as he repeated the same words.

Around them the battle was winding down, the last few standing vampaneze being over whelmed by animals and Resistance alike. Seeing that the battle was at a close, Darren suddenly remembered the workers and Gavner. With no time to waste on a sappy reunion, Darren raced over to the smiling couple, grabbing Larten's arm and tugging him from a heartfelt kiss.

"Gavner got stabbed," he said, looking up at Arra then back to his mentor.

**I'm such a bad person; I've written the final chapter before the second final :L So I'm hoping only two more chapters till I can officially check this story as completed! So excited.**

**I'mm keep this note short in a build up to the big long one I'll no doubt post but atm my writting's sluggish and I'm really tired ):**

**Night Night all!**

**Preston (:**


	39. Chapter 39

**Disclaimer; **

**I wasn't happy about this chapter so I decided to redo it. I had been in a rush to get ready and had though 'Meh' and uploaded it anyway. I really should not have because I felt a little let down by it :/**

**Chapter Thirty Nine.**

Gavner lay on a mound of blood stained snow, gasping slightly as his body fought to cling on to life. Around him, out of the corner of his blurry eyes, he could see the wasted workforce, guzzling blood, clean water, ale, food and medicines down hurriedly; the Resistance had filled the Way Station with such amenities for the tired Vampires when they were freed.

"You fought bravely," Vanez smiled, sitting by Gavner's side as he poured water into his mouth, smiling sadly as the dying vampire struggled to swallow.

"Not well enough," Gavner laughed, coughing blood onto the snow beside him, "At least you're free," he added softly, tears of happiness in his eyes; he had been the one to free them, lead them from Egypt and into the Promised Lands, help them escape from Treblinka and into Switzerland. He knew from that moment on that he would find peace in Paradise. Gavner might not have been as religious as Larten or Arra but he had surely proven his worth by aiding his brothers; that had to count for something.

"Aye," Vanez laughed, "The sky is lovely tonight," Gavner looked up at the dark blue twilight, the stars out in their thousand and glistening the finest silver colour the General had ever seen. The moon, too, was a large crescent which seemed almost magnified it was that close.

"Beautiful," Gavner agreed, "That moon's almost eclipsed; a new moon is a good omen for us tonight; a fresh start, sort of thing."

"Aye," Vanez sighed, laying on his back and gazing out upon the first night sky he had seen in over seventeen years. Truly, it was the most marvellous display of colour he had ever witnessed.

Gavner's head rolled slightly to the side, sensing Arra's Aura approaching the Way station. He grinned, his teeth bloodied, as he caught sight of an orange haired man dragging himself behind Darren.

"What're you doing, Larten? Thought we were gonna spend eternity together," Gavner croaked, straining to sit up, though with Arra's help he succeeded.

"I am a better swimmer than anyone gives me credit for," Larten retorted, kneeling beside his ailing friend.

"I told Vancha to wait," Gavner moaned, "He said you were a goner but I was defiant."

"Thank you," Larten smiled, holding his hand tightly.

Gavner chuckled, catching sight of Darren and smiling, "If you'd been a minute earlier I wouldn't have been stabbed,"

"Aye," Darren choked a little, perched beside his mentor and squeezing Gavner's kneecap tightly, "But then again you could have just been paying better attention." Gavner laughed, blood spluttering from his lips and coating himself with crimson speckles.

"Oh, Gav," Arra smiled, tears trickling from her eyes. Darren was shocked to see her show such a vulnerable emotion like that. He assumed Arra only had three emotions; Anger, Defeatist, Happiness. Even when she thought she had lost Larten she had been collected. "What are we going to do with you?"

"I want you to cremate me and scatter my ashes back at the old haunt," Gavner replied with a horse croak.

"I meant hypothetically, 'What are we going to do with you?'" Arra smiled sadly.

"I know," Gavner groaned, shifting slightly to take the pressure off his bleeding back. Arra was properly crying now. She leant forward, kissing Gavner's forehead then on each cheek and then finally on his lips, stroking his matted brown hair.

With a lot of effort, Gavner turned to Darren and forced a weak smile, "Are you going to behave yourself for me? Keep Larten out of trouble for me?"

"Yeah," Darren sobbed, biting his lip to stem his tears, "No promises though,"

"He will manage well," Larten commented. He had been silent during the entire conversation Gavner had had with Arra and Darren, studying Gavner's every aspect short of the dazed look in his eyes. He wanted to remember well his dear friend for centuries to come.

"Larten," Gavner nodded, his grip on the King's hand loosening as he slowly neared his end, "You have been…a miserable bastard at…the best of times but…I love you for it,"

"You have been the single most irritating, childish, pain in the ass I have ever had the misfortune to meet," Larten retorted, leaning in close to Gavner's ear, "I do not want you to leave me, not now when I need you the most."

"You don't need me," Gavner choked, "You…will make an…amazing King. Everyone…thinks so," Larten winced at that, biting his lip. As Arra had done, the orange haired vampire kissed Gavner, his lips shadowing Arra's earlier, not bothering when his met Gavner's. "You…big….gay," Gavner smiled as they parted.

"You always said I was incredibly camp," Larten chuckled softly.

Gavner nodded, forcing his words now, "You…wear make-up….when…you perform…on stage,"

"You love me for it though," Larten retorted before taking a deep breath and growing serious, "You saved the lives of the vampire people. You went over the call of duty that is expected of a General. Generation upon generation upon generation will remember the vampire who kept his people at the forefront of his mind throughout his journey, reminding us that the Resistance did not battle for this mountain but to end the torment and suffering of the innocent."

"You did more than a village policeman," Darren smiled, squeezing Gavner's knee.

"For that, Gavner," Larten nodded, waving his fingertips before his dying friend, "Allow me to make you a Prince before you die. You deserve to have songs sung of your nobility and valour tonight."

"You… would do ….that…. for me?" Gavner wheezed.

"It is the least I can do," Larten confirmed. He began to pierce his fingertips, blood trickling from the wounds quickly as he smiled and did the same to Gavner. "I love you, bro," Larten grinned, Darren and Arra staring at him slack jaw; _did Mr Crepsley just say 'Bro' ?_

With his friends aid, Gavner held his fingers to Larten, feeling the King's blood swirling into his, mixing together painfully as their hearts began to ache. Arra had to hold Larten up whilst Darren helped Gavner, the King was clearly not used to such a demanding and strenuous activity and was fairing worse than Gavner surprisingly.

It was with a shout that Larten threw his hands back, falling against Arra exhaustedly as he stared at his friend. Gavner's breathing was faded, his chest barely rising as death finally caught up with him. With his last dying breath he turned to the sky and belted out as loudly as he could, "_**Even in death may we vampires be triumphant!"**_

**I feel a little better about this one. Gavner really became one of my favourite characters in this -it's amazing how when you write a character doing a completely different adventure to the original story you start to really like them. **

**My first attempt at this was pretty much shit and I'm sorry to the three who reviewed :'( I just wasn't happy about it and I'm really sorry if I've pissed you off deleting the original chapter :/ Really really sorry.**

**Hopefully you'll like this one even more otherwise I'll rewrite it again and again till its done well xD**

**Thank you anyway and sorry again;**

**Preston ):**

**(sad face because I hope I've not upset/angered/pissed off anyone)**


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter Forty**

Larten rested his head against Gavner's, sighing slightly as he inhaled his friend's prominent musky smell. Quickly Gavner's body had frozen, his soulless corpse turning a dark shade of blue whilst his lips soon parted from their original smile expression and fixed in a lazy semi-open line across his bearded jaw.

"Oh Gavner," he finally sighed after a silent moment of just laying connected to his deceased friend. Darren studied his Mentor's face and could see the deep sadness in his usually alert green eyes, a dim moss colour seeming to take hold.

A cough brought the group back into reality. Arra looked up from her kneeling position and almost seemed to blush as she became aware of several bloodied, haggard Resistance fighters standing around them with stupidly excited smiles across their purple bearded faces.

"We've taken no prisoners," the first Vampaneze smiled, pushing his brown locks off his sweaty brow, "Bodies are being beheaded just in case but I think," his smile seemed to somehow widen as he leant in close to Larten and Arra, "We have taken back the Mountain."

Arra couldn't help but to hold back a squeal of excitement, catching Larten and Darren off guard as they stared at her with the single most curious expression –Arra Sails was not the girly 'squealing' sort. She blushed, coughed into a fist then grew incredibly serious, "You are sure that no one lives?"

"Positive," the vampaneze nodded to the vampiress, "We are in the process of scouting the halls but, after the roof collapsed and a big chunk of the Mountain caved in on itself, there are few places survivors could hide," he looked to Darren and winked, the boy wide eyed in complete wonder at what the Resistance fighter was saying. Quickly, two blood red eyes fell on Larten, "Your Majesty, what would you have us do?" Arra could see Larten's lips threatening to break into a smile, the dirty vampire biting his lip to withstand the sudden pride the Vampaneze' words had ignited in his soul.

"Take the workers back inside, feed them and clothe them then at the stroke of midnight, when all the bodies have been washed away, have everyone assemble in this so-called hall of Lords," Larten said assertively, looking up at the vampaneze from Gavner's side.

"Do you want the bodies cremated now?" the Vampaneze asked.

"Have them all stacked in the hall of Death and we shall dispose of them once they have had time to rot," Larten instructed before Vanez mouthed up from the group of workers he was stood beside.

"Leave Kurda, Larten. He ain't as bad as them other ones," Vanez spoke, the majority of the workers nodding in approval, "The day we learnt o' yir death, Larten, Kurda brought us a feast," ….

_Kurda walked down the corridor of the Ghetto halls, unprotected and alone with no weapons, tears in his eyes as he heard his people singing almost joyfully. He gulped before entering the cramped, warm, smoking room as his people sung their hearts out. A few vampires looked up at him and passed him a slight smile; he was a traitor and evil but a vampire none the less. Wordlessly, crying like a baby, Kurda removed the bag from his shoulders and laid the loaves of bread, chicken breasts and fresh fruit before them all before making his leave till a bony had grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back in._

_"Vanez, I am sorry, my brother," Kurda wept as the dirty eyeless vampire pulled him against his bony chest, "I don't expect to be forgiven but I will start bringing you food. I swear by the Gods."_

_"Join us, Sire. Tonight is a night that we need every vampire voice we can to block out the sounds of the vampaneze celebrations." Vanez nodded, leading him back into the room as the vampires continued to sing;_

_"__Said, said, said I remember when we used to sit in the government yard in Trenchtown. And then Georgie would make the fire light. Log wood burnin' through the night then we would cook corn meal porridge of which I'll share with you._

_My feet is my only carriage so I've got to push on through but while I'm gone..._

_Ev'rything's gonna be alright. Ev'rything's gonna be alright. Ev'rything's gonna be alright. Ev'rything's gonna be alright. Ev'rything's gonna be alright. Ev'rything's gonna be alright. Ev'rything's gonna be alright. Ev'rything's gonna be alright._

_No woman, no cry. No woman, no cry. Little darlin' don't shed no tears. No woman, no cry. No woman, no cry. No woman, no cry. Little darlin' don't shed no tears. No woman, no cry,"_

_Once the singing was over Kurda's food was dished out to everyone, laughing and joking with each other and retelling stories of Prince Paris, Larten Crepsley and his reckless adventures, Petra Vin Grahl and Kurda was present for them all, smiling and joking with his kind for a night that he wished would never end…_

"Lay Kurda's torso and head in his coffin," Larten nodded, "His remains are to be buried, not divided up and discarded to the stakes,"

"Aye, your Majesty," the vampaneze bowed, herding up the workers and leading them inside and into the warmth of both the mountain and the Resistance men. It had been almost two decades since the two groups had last been united and a hearty feast was to be had as the Resistance celebrated taking back their mountain and defeating their oppressors.

Watching as the horde of skeletal men left, Arra turned and looked back at Darren and Larten, "What do we do now?"

Darren shrugged whilst Larten laughed, "I am going to the Showers, carrying bucket loads of freezing water and pouring it into one of the larger tin basins. I shall then heat it up till there is steam and having the single-most warmest bath of my lifetime. I have nearly drowned twice in freezing cold water, come down with that human disease pneumonia, trudged through blizzards with thin armour on, lived beside a tiger in bare feet for a week or two…I am tired of being cold! I am going to heat up and no one in their right mind will disturb me!"

Arra and Darren stared at Larten in shook before bursting out laughing, shaking their heads and rising. Arra offered Larten a hand to his feet, smiling as the orange haired King scooped Gavner's corpse and led the way back into the joyful mountain.

_**A few hours later and a hundred or so plates of grilled steak…**_

Darren had never been so full in his life, rubbing his bloated belly with a sickly grin on his muddy chops. He, being the King's assistant, was being treated like royalty; he felt like a spoilt Prince, being fed the finest steaks and handed the most pure ale.

Of course there was ale. Darren could never imagine a celebration happening which didn't involve the vampires drinking to an extreme state. Already some of the men were looking slightly rosy cheeked and giddy which wasn't a bad thing; these men deserved the finest beverages life could offer them.

Amongst the masses of Resistance and Workers, Darren spied Fane, drinking himself stupid like the others, singing folk songs and dancing strange jigs that his village must have taught him. As far as Darren was aware he was the only human to survive which wasn't a terribly bad thing; the boy was an orphan but had proven his strength and nobility in fighting for the vampires and vampaneze; someone was bound to make him an assistant and take him around the world for adventure.

Rudi and the other wolves had long since left, leaving their dead for the Vampires to clean up no doubt. Darren could also see a few horse carcases and dead badgers, rabbits and feathered birds lying in the hall's corner, swept to the side quickly. The Vampires and Vampaneze would not eat these animals; their bodies would be burnt honourably, a thank you to nature for joining the battle and fighting.

A drunken Fane slapped Darren's shoulder, the human throwing his hands around Darren's neck and kissing each of his cheeks. "Won!" he cheered loudly in the vampire's ear, his breath reeking to the high heavens of brandy and whisky, "Reshastance won!"

"Resistance," Darren corrected, ruffling the boy's dirty hair, getting the instant feeling that Fane would be left in Darren's charge; the boys were of similar age, give or take twenty years.

"Won!" Fane laughed excitedly before being grabbed by a burly vampaneze and pulled towards the Games Hall where Darren could see him being made to take a tight hold of a piece of rope and try to knock his opponent's grasp as he did the same thing. Of course, the drunken human flinched and fell, being caught by a few ready vampires who slapped his back and encouraged him to try again. Fane would definitely be a welcomed addition to either Clan; everyone loved a trier.

Larch found himself outstretched upon a strangely shaped wooden box up, one of the strange contraptions the tiger had seen man put their dead within and bury into the earth. Such strange customs these creatures had.

A groan from across the room made the tiger's ears twitch, his green eyes landing on the source; Larten and Arra. If Tigers could roll their eyes, Larch certainly would have as he snorted and stretched out upon Larten's bed.

"Right there, Arra," Larten moaned, eyes closed as Arra's nimble fingers followed his oral instructions.

"Here?" Arra whispered.

"Aye," Larten nearly drooled, pushing against her hands, "Use your thumb more,"

Arra giggled at her friend, lover, whatever they were, and proceeded to follow his instruction, "Faster now?"

"Oh Gods, aye," Larten gasped, his body shuddering in both pleasure and relaxation. "Get right under there. Faster. Faster. Faster."

"Enjoying this?" Arra smiled, speeding up her hand gestures like he was pleading for her to do.

"Y-y-auuh-," Larten groaned before wincing, "Watch my hair; you are tugging it."

Arra suddenly laughed at that, removing her soapy hands from his scalp, "I'm washing your hair, I need to tug it to get all these blood and mud out,"

"Yes but you could be more delicate," Larten pouted. He grumbled when Arra ran her hand over the water's surface and gathered bubbles up which she then draped across his jaw. "Oh very funny." Larten mumbled.

"Ho ho ho," Arra grinned, attempting to make a bubble hat to match his beard.

Smirking mischievously, Larten bent his head back in the bath tub, emerging once more with no beard and no hat, "Ha!"

Arra rose an eyebrow at that, her hand reaching for the large tin bucket the vampire had been using for supplying water to his room in, grinning when she saw it was still semi-full of freezing river water. Before Larten had time to beg forgiveness, Arra tipped the contents into the tub, water overflowing.

"Aaaaieee!" Larten shrieked, leaping from the bath tub, defeated, covering himself with his hands, "Oh you are the worst type of person," he sneered, teeth chattering as his body made the transaction from scotching hot bliss to cold mountain air.

Arra grinned at that, laughing as he searched for a towel to protect what little dignity he had left. "Come on then," she giggled, "If you put some trousers on I'll comb out the knits and lice from your hair. I'll help you shave away your body hair too."

"Lice and knits are the punishment I get for running wild with animals for a fortnight," Larten blushed.

"Well I'll get rid of them then, once you are deloused and if we have time before midnight, we can sleep together," Arra laughed when Larten nodded in approval. He knew fine well that she meant to literally sleep; after nearly a year of sleeping on wood, snow, the floor, both were desperate to be caressed by the softness of a Silent Night pillow and a thick feathery duvet.

**Two more chapters! Thank you so so so so so so so much for all your reviews! I post the next one tonight and make a proper author's note (:**

**Preston (:**


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter Forty One.**

Lady Evanna smiled widely as she gazed around the Hall of Lords, her usual ropey attire having been swapped for a dress of the finest white silk, her ugly appearance melted into the form of a beautiful blonde woman, catching the eyes of the entire cavern. The Hall of Lords had been gussied up something special for the stroke of midnight. The bodies were gone, the blood stains having been mopped up and a carpet having been laid from the entrance to the platform at the front of the room. The walls had been decorated with bright red fabrics, draping over the harsh stone shell of the hall and adding a strangely lavish feel.

The pews were packed with Vampaneze and Vampires. Some of the audience were incredibly drunk, some were sober, a few were wounded and a few were unharmed though one thing they all had in common were the excited and joyful looks on their faces.

Darren had been ushered to the front by near enough the entire room, the half vampire grasping Fane's hand tightly as they were both forced forwards and squeezed right in front of the platform. On his way Darren was clasped by everyone and that was no exaggeration; he had never shaken so many hands in his entire life. The workers, especially, praised Darren for his efforts in freeing them with Gavner, many expressing tears of happiness at the sight of him.

When the half vampire spied Evanna at the front of the Hall, he stared at her curiously. It took a moment for him to recognize her looking so beautiful but the instant he spied those colour changing eyes he knew he was sat directly before the Lady of the Wild.

Fane had the biggest grin Darren had ever seen in his life, the human clearly at home within the mountain. He wondered if he understood completely what these people were and where he was but Darren could see the boy was happy and, as long as he was safe, the half vampire was glad for him.

The entire hall rose suddenly as two armed guards, a vampire and a vampaneze, announced Larten's presence. Darren couldn't help but giggle at how important his mentor had become in a matter of hours; he had gone from an orange haired freak to an orange haired King.

Larch plodded down the carpet first, the tiger the only animal who hadn't left the mountain yet. He seemed content, Darren thought, to be worshipped and fed meat and sleep on a comfortable bed. Considering he had been such a savage beast in battle he came across as a greedy tabby cat now. Funny, the assistant thought.

His eyes lit up when he spied Larten and Arra, walking down the aisle, Larten's face as crimson as he glorious red suit, as the Hall erupted into cheers and applause and chants. When Arra kissed his cheek and came to sit next to Darren, the chants became howls of praise, their King and Saviour in their hour of need.

When Larten's eyes spied Evanna's beautiful expression, a shy hand caressed his scar tenderly as he recalled his drunken undertakings as a youth. He gulped a little, making Evanna laugh as she coaxed him forward with her slender finger, indicating for him to kneel before her.

"Don't be nervous," her soft voice whispered to the shy vampire, her words making him shudder ever so slightly as he looked up at her, "I'm not here to harm you. If anything, I am here to award you for your valour and courage. You succeeded where many Vampires would have given up and ran and hid." She knelt in front of him, her forehead against his so that only he could hear her words, "Mr Tiny has even credited you endeavour and that takes a lot."

"His words are always laced in venom….but you can tell him I appreciate it nonetheless," Larten said firmly feeling Evanna chuckle slightly, "I did what any vampire would do for his people."

"Stop being modest," Evanna snapped then added in a softer tone, "You have done me proud, Larten. Since I last met you in the Resistance tree forts you have come a long way from that unfit skeleton I last spoke to." Before Larten could mumbled something to humble himself Evenna stood and looked out upon the Hall. She clicked her fingers, summoning two young girls, no doubt her assistants, who between them carried four crowns on cushions of black silk. The crowns depleted in size, from large to small, each the purest of silver and expertly shaped to resemble leafy ivy.

The Hall watched as the largest of the crowns was lifted by Evanna's delicate fingers, raising it high for the entire audience to gaze at in awe before lowering it upon Larten's orange hair. The vampire bowed ever so slightly, Evanna's head rising with pride and importance as she declared to the Hall, "Tonight ends the sovereignty of Princes and tonight we see the beginning of the reign of the King,"

Larten's eyes crept up towards Evanna, a smile gracing his lips, "May the Gods watch over you and bless your Kingship."

The witch's finger pointed out to Arra and Darren next, indicating for them to join Larten and kneel before her. With confused faces the two did as bided and knelt on either side of their red caped companion.

"Along the quest these escapees endured certain events which could have seen the entire Resistance fail today if the wrong decisions were made," Evanna's voiced boomed as she gazed down fondly at her old assistant, "Arra, had you not been there in Larten's darkest hour to show him warmth and friendship you all would have failed to defeat the Vampaneze. In comforting him you saw the King begin to believe in himself and his cause which ultimately saw the rise in the Resistance," she informed as Arra's mind wondered back…

_Arra was seeing to her bruises from sparring late that noon. Darren was exhaustedly curled up in a ball, his burnt hand still tender and wrapped tight in bandages to offer slight relief and protection from dust and dirt. Gavner, too, was drained –his energy stores so depleted that his breathing seemed even deeper and thus his snoring was beginning to break the sound barrier. Unlike Larten their training was done in groups with consistent breaks. They were punished if they didn't carry out what was asked of them but in all Gannen was less strict on them and fairer to their basic needs._

_When she heard a curse, Arra peered out from the window of the tree house, spying Larten curling himself into a ball by the tree's roots._

_"Larten?" she called as she slowly started descending to ground level. Ideally the camp slept up high and out of sight through the day, just for safe keeping. "Aren't you coming up?"_

_Larten didn't even bother sitting up but rather remained lying and lifted his head to look at her. He sighed when he heard her gasp; he was a mess. His hair was greasy and dirty, those alert green eyes were bloodshot and tired with huge black circles around them. The vampire's cheeks were burnt red from training running late into the noon whilst his entire body was black and blue with bruises. Arra could smell his powerful odour from standing mere yards away; he smelt a mix of several potent scents; vomit, dirty sweat, musk, urine, blood._

_"Larten, what happened to you?" she asked as she knelt beside him, rubbing spit into a few of his cuts and grazes._

_"Vancha is working me like a dog," the vampire croaked, his muscles shaking from fatigue, "Arra he is killing me. I cannot even climb up that fucking tree to sleep! I am such a feeble bastard. I do not deserve to be the King. I am going to fail. I am-"_

_"You're not going to fail," Arra growled, lying behind him and wrapping his sore body in her arms, "It is going to be okay, Sweetheart," she promised as she heard him sniff. It was obvious just how hard he was working and how frustrated he was becoming from his frequent failings. Larten was never weak but his confidence had just dwindled completely. It was as though the orange haired vampire could fore-see his failing in battle and now no longer saw the point in fighting anymore. Arra pitied him greatly._

_"I am sorry I am being such a pessimist. I think it is my not being able to flit yet that has completely deluded my senses. It has really rocked my confidence," Larten admitted with a slight sigh. He rolled over and nuzzled into Arra's chest for warmth and comfort whilst she stroked his hair softly._

_"How did you learn when you just became a full vampire?" Arra asked. Flitting was very much the human equivalent to riding a bicycle in that it took time and patience on the mentor's behalf for their assistants to learn. However, like a bike it took one negative experience to completely unwind the hours and hours of work that the mentor had administrated into helping their assistant achieve the ability to flit._

_"Seba broke it down," Larten said, "Gradually he helped me build up to flitting." There was an eerie silence as Arra and Larten recalled Seba with great sadness. "Seba Nile," Larten nodded sadly, "My mentor, my friend, my father, my hero-" the last words were a struggle to say, Arra could feel Larten's voice constrict as supressed emotions which had been brewing since Seba's death overwhelmed him, "Seba Nile," he repeated, "My dearest and oldest friend."_

_"Do you miss him?" Arra asked, sensing he was on the verge of crying –a sight even Arra had never seen Larten do. It was a stupid question, she knew full well he did, but she hoped it was enough to see him release the pain of losing someone so loved._

_Arra was right. Larten opened his mouth to speak but instead sobbed, burrowing his head into her chest and weeping. "Shush," Arra soothed, squeezing him tighter to her body._

_They stayed like that for the rest of the day, shortly Larten tired himself out completely whilst Arra remained awake. Protectively she wrapped him tight in her grasp, wanting so badly for him to stop hurting like he was. Hopefully mourning the death of his mentor would in fact allow that to happen. Kissing the top of his orange coloured head, Arra sighed softly. She hated him being in pain…_

The Vampiress smiled proudly, catching Larten's expression in her periphery vision and grinning widely.

"For that, Arra Sails, I wish to have you knighted for your efforts," Evanna carefully placed a second crown upon Arra's curly dark hair, smiling proudly, "Dame Sails."

Arra felt Larten take her hand, squeezing it tightly as Evanna now hovered above Darren. "Well well well, Master Shan. You gave up your humanity to save a friend and now you risked your life to save your people…you certainly are a noble fellow, aren't you?" Darren was shy to speak and so nodded, glad to have Mr Crepsley wrap his hand around his as the witch spoke. "You and Larten have certainly come a long way. Considering you contemplated killing him with his own spider it comes as a surprise that you would risk your life in battle for your mentor," …

_"Darren!" Larten roared, launching a knife into the jugular of a vampaneze whom had raised an axe with intentions of cracking it down on Darren's skull. Grasping his assistant's shoulders, Larten guided him through the fray, his second knife whirling around in his hand almost artfully as he sliced and chopped at anyone who strayed to close, "Stop daydreaming!"_

_A large built vampaneze leapt for Larten, clubbing the orange haired vampire on the back of the head as he scowled Darren, a curse escaping his lips as he crashed to the floor, smacking his forehead on the ice and cracking it open. Darren's mouth dropped open in horror, fear racketing through his body as the purpled coloured beast of a man kicked Larten onto his back and hovered his club above the dazed vampire._

_"I thought the great Larten Crepsley was a warrior!" the vampaneze spat, spraying saliva over Larten as he gazed dully up at his attacker, "Weakling. Weakling. Weakling!" he sneered, pulling his club back and slamming it forward towards Larten._

_Instinctively Darren intercepted the vampaneze with his sword, catching the club before throwing himself forward onto the man and catching his throat with the side of his blade. "__**Mess with Larten and you mess with me**__!" the half vampire sneered through his gritted teeth as the vampaneze staggered backwards before falling to the floor. Turning to his mentor, Darren could see the shock in his eyes. "You okay?"_

_"Aye," Larten laughed slightly, accepting his apprentice's hand to his feet before lunging himself back into battle, using the knives he favoured as opposed to the sword he had been gifted by destiny…._

A third crown descended upon Darren's head, the smallest of the lot. "I knight you, Darren Shan, for your nobility and bravery to put others before yourself given any situation. You should be proud to be a vampire, Darren, especially one who will forever be recognized as being the most selfless man to be added to the ranks of the undead." Evanna smiled, her eyes falling on the forth crown left rested upon the velvet pillow, "Amelia and Elizabeth, please rest the final crown on Gavner's coffin. Even in death he deserves to be recognized to all for his light hearted spirit and warming character."

The two young girls rose and skipped out of the hall hurriedly to award Gavner his crown whilst the remainder of the hall gazed upon the kneeling three. They applauded their warriors before growing silent as Larten went to speak, "This night is not a victory for one man. It required all of us to make it so," he said firmly, his eyes seeming to meet with everyone's as a faint smile crept on his face, "Let us go forth together and rebuild our world which we will share in peace and harmony as brothers rather than separate races. We shall begin the process of healing our wounds tomorrow, my dear people, for tonight is a night in which we must celebrate the reunion of the Vampires and the Vampaneze and the freeing of Vampire Mountain!" The applause doubled for the King, vampires and vampaneze cheering and whistling their praise to Larten as he took Arra and Darren's hands and led them forward down the aisle, the crowds bowing their heads as they passed them before following on to the Games Hall, their chanting clear as crystal;

"_**I will never let you into these Halls. You will never get the Stone. You will never get to Paris. You will never take the Vampire Spirit. We will always resist. We will always fight. We will never surrender. Even in Death may **__**we Vampires and Vampaneze**__** be Triumphant!"**_

…_**..**_

**Thus concludes Resistance :')**

**It's been a long story, hasn't it? Forty One chapters and almost one hundred thousand words. Thank you all so much for reading. Truly if it wasn't for such kind reviews, the Personal messages, the number of author and story alerts I would have caved in and never completed this. So thank you, all of you, for everything. I'm regretting my promise for individual mentions but I said I would do it (:**

**Rowan Rawr**- Thank you for being the very very first person to review this story and for reviewing throughout. Honestly you've really given me a lot of confidence to continue this; more than my English teachers ever gave me! I can't wait for more of your work too, particularly all your wonderful LxA stories (: Best pairing of the entire saga!

**Blood Red Youth **and **Chiba**- Same as the above, thank you for your reviews throughout, especially in the early chapters. You really helped encourage me in the beginning and I'm really super grateful for it :D

**Roxypony- **I can't believe I managed to get reviews from you even after I killed off Arrow and Mika xD That has to be the best though because I've loved all of your TVF the instant I discovered the DS FF site. I really really really cannot wait for the next of the Las Vegas TVF! It's gonna be sawwweeeet :D Makes me actually want to leave the Shire and go out to places like Vegas and have whacky adventures like the gang with my own friends (my best friend is Gay but he acts more like Mika than Kurda so there's a bit of a problem there :/ ) Ha, I just lolled at one of your reviews while I was taking everyone's names down for this Essay of Frustration – 'HOLY FUCKING BALLSACKS'- not gonna lie, your reviews always make me feel better about my cursing and drinking :') . Thank you for posting my story on fb too in the beginning. If you hadn't **Lilbat54 **wouldn't have left me such a wonderful review too! (:

**Amela333**- Thank you so much :') The Sixth Path is one of my all-time favourite stories on this site and I'm so glad, after months of being your Anonymous Reviewer, you reviewed and enjoyed my story; it means the world, honestly. Thank you.

**SUSHIxMONSTER**- Wow. Just wow. Thank you for reviewing every single chapter and always making me smile with your reviews. I love how almost everytime I upload a chapter you're the first to review. Thank you. Thank you so much. I hope this ending's okay for you xD I really am glad you've stuck through the entire story and that you review my other stories :L Happy Birthday in two days (: Hope you enjoy Palace of The Damned –it's out today in Britain ;)

**Wolfgurl6**- Thank you for proof reading the posts I wasn't sure about. Though most importantly thank you for PM me and talking to me (: We'll need to have a good chat soon again, I did love getting Random notifications in my inbox :D Speak to you soon!

**Wolf Seeker**- Thank you for your kind words! ^^ Means a lot, Blud (:

**Lady Purl/M/Kurda's lover**- Thank you for your reviews throughout the story and for speaking to me on PM (: I love reading them and I really cannot wait till you announce who one your competition (: Thank you again!

**Katy** and **Milkshakes'n'KitKats** – Thank you so much for your reviews! Hope I managed to keep the story okay for you both (:

**0_o Starting to regret starting this now. Shoulda done this through the chapters. Damn my laziness when making Author's notes T-T**

**Meh **– Not gonna lie, love your name xD

**Anonymous Reviewer** – Thank you! ^^

**DaylightVampire-** I'm glad I managed to make you think Darren was going to be the King in chapter23? Fuck, I can't even remember my chapters xD

**Chronos The Cookie Monster**- Thank you! (:

**Crepsley00 –** Ken what? I'm friggin glad there's another Jock on this Site, one wee a gid taste in music –Lucky buggarr getting tae see Twin ): I'll settle fir seeing the View in their Hame toon :L On the Bonnie Bonnie Tayside city, Dun-Scum-Dee xD Seriously though, cheers for the Reviews (: Hope you hiv a bra day; the weather's fell sunny up in angus the noo but it'll nae doubt cloud o'er again an we'll face black clouds fae the next fortnight. Also, Gid luck with the snow :L We were completely cut off fae the rest o' the world and they're sayin' it'll be hellish come October again :/

**Tytue**- I'm a huge fan of your story so it means a lot that you reviewed mine; hope you're getting on okay with your course work

**Darth Vyper**- Not gonna lie, when you commented about Vancha being squished by a rock I grinned and did an evil laugh (A)

**Princess of the Vampires**- Thank you for your reviews!

**CirqueDuFreakforever-** Thank you too! (: Means a lot, blud

**YukiHimeChaan**– Thank you also! I thought about making Darren King but then thought, 'Meh, lets be different' :L

**Anonymous Reviewer who suggested Change by Taylor Swift**- Fucking now love that song :O You're so right, it really suits this song T-T I wish I'd heard about it in the early chapters! Would have given me more motivation :L

**Dear Lord I cannot believe I had the patience to do that -_- Done now though! :D**

**That's it, officially finished. This is it done. No more chapters. No more! :L**

**I've run out of things to say so I'll finish with saying; Palace of The Damned is out in Britain and I have vouchers for a free McDonalds and I have a bottle of cider….I'm going to have an amazing night 8D**

**Thank you all, everyone who has read this, reviewed this and alerted this. Means the world to me considering my Primary school teachers tested me for Dyslexia, had me in the bottom groups for anything English related and blatantly called me a 'retard where language skills are concerned'**

**To them, I say, FU I wrote a story and you have to mark homework ;)**

**Preston (:**

**OH!**

**Darren Shan stuff doesn't belong to me**

**Half the motivational speeches were loosely based on other people's speeches**

**I don't own anything to do with any of the music mentioned or quoted in this**

**I only owned the idea which was inspired by my History class and the story of the Bielski Brothers who, together as brothers, created the greatest Resistance in the forests of the East. Though they killed few Nazis they rescued thousands of Jews from concentration camps by bravely sneaking in and then smuggling them out at dusk. **

**Thought I should just add that in :L**

**19/06/2011 - 28/09/2011**


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter Forty Two**

"_It seems weird to me, reading the old entries of this diary and trying to piece together everything that happened to lead me to this very day. Often I've written that if it wasn't for Mr Crepsley I wouldn't be here and those words have never wrung truer; if he hadn't come when he had then the entire Resistance wouldn't be here now. Funny, eh? Funny how one sentence can have multiple meanings, both positive and negative connotations. If that bastard hadn't turned me I would never be here but if he hadn't saved us all three weeks ago I wouldn't be here too. Strange._

_These last three weeks have been mental. A mass clean-up has started; The ghetto halls, once more, are the permanent place of residence as we clean the mountain of rubble and bodies, though no once's complaining. Numbers have dwindled so much that the Ghettos are actually rather spacious. I share a room with Mr Crepsley and Arra much to the couple's annoyance. Arra doesn't seem fazed but I can see in Mr Crepsley's eyes that he desperately wants an hour or two alone with his mate._

_Oh yeah, they've Mated again. Or rather, they're engaged. Apparently to Mate officially they have to exchange blood or something, make vows to be faithful to each other and be present before the eldest vampire who'll bless their mating –Vanez in this instance. Sounds like a lot of baloney to me but it makes them happy so I'm going along with it. So as it stands they are like fiancé and fiancée, but I'm not sure what the vampire equivalent is. _

_As everything gets fixed we've renamed the halls; it was Arra's idea really but Mr Crepsley's in charge so he passed it. Not that anyone complained about it; names like Petra Vin Grahl are the past now, not relevant to this generation of vampire and vampaneze._

_The tunnel on the way to the Hall of Princes is now The Path Of Arrow whilst the actual hall is now officially the Hall of Mika, Mika's infamous words carved into the thick stone walls in massive font so that it can be seen from every angle along the Path of Arrow._

_The kitchens are now officially known as The Cavern of Ruth, named after Aunty Ruth and her hospitality towards me, Arra, Mr Crepsley and Gavner._

_The Hall of Petra vin Grahl is now the Hall of Vancha March, Vancha being the only vampire in history to have reportedly enjoy the freezing cold showers that the mountain had to offer. It seemed rather fitting really._

_The Hall of Gannen Hurst is the official welcoming hall for weary vampires arriving into the mountain, where they are greeted with food, water, blood and ale. In the naming ceremony it marked the official union of vampires and Vampaneze to have a non-vampire have a hall named after them. _

_Perhaps the most emotional naming for us was the Hall of Gavner Purl, the games Hall. Vanez felt it fitting that such a friendly, playful and kind vampire should have the most central Hall named after them. Truly, if it hadn't been for Gavner Purl pushing us onward with his warming character we wouldn't have managed to make it home-" _

"Shan," Arra laughed, throwing a stone at Darren's hand, causing him to score in his diary, a dark look befalling him as he placed the book down and glared.

"I was in the middle of writing something meaningful and deep," he grumbled, hearing his Master's deep throated laugh from across the clearing. Darren looked at him with a leer, the orange haired man looking a lot healthier and well groomed; no longer was his hair shaggy but rather kept in place by a silver crown, his red trench coat over an actually white white shirt –no longer messy with blood and mud. He leaned over to Arra and kissed her lips softly as he continued to tune Gavner's guitar, an activity he had been doing for the last hour or two.

"I am on Arra's side, Darren," Larten smiled, sticking his tongue out as he thought hard and attempted to make the tattered wooden instrument more pleasing to the ears.

Arra grinned, winking at Darren before nodding at the urn in his hands, "I think Gavner would flip if he saw Larten playing about with his guitar."

"Aye," Darren chuckled, softly stroking the terracotta jar softly, "One of the few things from his humanhood that he still treasured,"

Larten chuckled and shook his head, "I have fixed it now," he stated, strumming the sting softly with a pick to avoid cutting the strings with his nails, "Sounds beautiful," he continued to play the guitar, humming softly to himself. If he was honest he was out of his depth. He could play any woodwind instrument within an hour of practice but String instruments confused him. Though Gavner had been persistent in teaching him just as Larten had with the flute; both men had centuries to kill so it was only natural they would tech each other and master different disciplines.

Larten smiled as he remembered bringing sheets of notes from songs he was keen to learn; the Beatles, Rod Stewart, The Clash, anything with a simple beat which didn't completely confuse him. His illiteracy made reading the music harder but Gavner was a very patient teacher and taught him how he had overcome that problem himself.

"And it is a sad picture, the final blow hits you. Somebody else gets what you wanted again. You know it is all the same, another time and place, repeating history and you are getting sick of it. But I believe in whatever you do and I will do anything to see it through. Because these things will change, can you feel it now? These walls that they put up to hold us back will fall down. It is a revolution, the time will come for us to finally win," The vampire began singing, strumming effortlessly, his deep voice surprising Darren who looked at Arra.

The vampiress was smiling, playing with the daisies on the floor and making her very own flowery crown, her legs rising and falling like a school girl, "Gavner loved that song," she smiled, "He used to sing it when you guys were sleeping."

Larten grinned, "The singer was very beautiful; he only ever really liked playing songs that wooed women into thinking he was the sensitive sort," he strummed the guitar once more, humming a little before singing once more, Darren enthralled by the scene; "So we have been outnumbered, raided and now cornered. It is hard to fight when the fight is not fair. We are getting stronger now from things they never found. They might be bigger but we are faster and never scared. You can walk away and say we do not need this but there is something in your eyes says we can beat this."

Arra smiled and joined her soon-to-be mate, her voice not perfect but given the situation it wasn't required that she sounded like an angel. In her head she could hear Gav singing through the night, mimicking his words in the tone he had uttered them, forever so jovial and carefree, "'Cause these things will change, can you feel it now? These walls that they put up to hold us back will fall down. It's a revolution; the time will come for us to finally win. We'll sing hallelujah! We'll sing hallelujah!"

Larten continued to strum away contently, his voice booming over the instrument. He didn't see the point in hiding his watery eyes, staring sadly at the ashes of his best friend being clutched in Darren's hands as the half vampire, too, cried quietly. "Tonight we stand on our knees to fight for what we worked for all these years. And the battle was long; it is the fight of our lives. Will we stand up champions tonight?" he watched as Darren stood, tightly holding Gavner as he walked towards the cliff edge, gazing down on the villages bellow. He took in deep breaths, one hand on the lid of the urn.

Larten had to avert his eyes, close to breaking down which he was not willing to do before Arra and Darren, "It was the night things changed, can you see it now? These walls that they put up to hold us back fell down. It's a revolution, throw your hands up, 'cause we never gave in." he closed his eyes tight, hearing the 'pop' of the lid being opened. In his mind he could see Gavner waving, almost ghostly; his smile was so captivating and proud, not saying goodbye but a 'See you soon,' before disappearing to the back of Larten's mind once more.

Gavner's ashes caught the mountain breeze, drifting almost, from the pot and down towards the very mountain he gave his life to save. Arra choked back tears as she waved goodbye to her beloved idiot, recalling those stupid conversations and witting remarks they both made to each other.

She took in a shaky breath and sung weakly, "We sang Hallelujah!"

"We sang Hallelujah," Darren said softly, tipping the final few speckles of ash out from the urn before discarding out over the edge of the cliff.

Larten's voice broke as his best friend fluttered through the air, forever a part of the Mountain he gave his life up for, the noblest of deaths a vampire could ever achieve. "Hallelujah!" he yelled more than sang, his tightened jaw not allowing him to formulate words in a lyrical way.

Arra sat down beside him, squeezing he shoulder before laying her head against his, sighing as she continued to stare out over the edge of the cliff, Darren walking back to them and sitting to Larten's other side. The half vampire was glad when Larten squeezed his shoulder manfully, his gaze also lingering to where Gavner's remains had been thrown.

For what felt like hours they remained there, the moon rising and falling above them as they thought of everything they had been through, together, these last few years, a family.

_**Meanwhile….**_

"_They think they have bet me! Me! Lord Leopard!" _Steve spat into his Dictaphone, pacing around the dingy flat he was renting, a hand bunching his grey hair as his range took over, _"There King is fucking dead. Darren is fucking dead. Who do they think they are? Who do they think they are to come barging into my Mountain, my kingdom, and take over like that!"_

In his anger, he kicked over his desk, paper scattering onto the floor as he began to physically shout down the Dictaphone, "_Well I'm just going to start again. I'm going to become a Lord again, you'll see! They'll all see. I didn't rip that vampaneze's face off so that I could just hide for the rest of my life. They think I'm dead. I'll teach them. They'll rue the day that they crossed Lord Leopard!"_

He kicked a few sheets of paper and then gazed down at a flyer.

It was for a human circus, filled with clowns and performing monkeys yet still…

An idea sparked in his twisted imagination, formulating a horrific plan that would see him a leader again. No, not a leader, a Ringmaster.

Grinning, Steve switched on his Dictaphone and laughed, "_New note, fresh idea…" _he said with venom dripping into each and every word.

**So…I forgot to add this chapter :L I was looking through my computer folders, getting rid of Highschool stuff when I noticed this and was like 'the fuck?'**

**It actually came from a review I read, the idea I mean, recommending Change by Taylor Swift –which I'm in love with now :L great tune!- and I guess I must have forgotten to add it O:**

**Anyways, when I read it the other day I became inspired again. I was starting to lose interest a little in writing but suddenly I remember all the ideas I'd thought of for a second Resistance story which I think I might do, if I can be forgiven for forgetting to post this :L**

**Hope everyone's well Anyway, and again Sorry I forgot to add this. **

**This was why I didn't write about Steve getting Slain in the last few chapters :L I totally remember now. Ha, lol. Oh well.**

**I might continue this as a new story if anyone's interested so please give me a shout.**

**Again, hope everyone's well!**

**Preston Tours**

**(: **


	43. Chapter 43

**Very short prelude to ****Cirque****de l'Horreur**** Sequel to this story.**

Blood was beginning to trickle down upon the audience from the bodies of the poor souls already captured in the rafters. The vampaneze were feeding upon them hungrily, with no acknowledgement to their screams of sheer terror. Some still believed this was an act, that the people being fed upon were stage hands who had the correct training to be abducted and pulled up high into the rafters of the ruined church.

When the Ringmaster appeared on Stage, however, those who still believed this was all a show lost complete faith and began to make silent prayers to God.

Such an evil man was now stood before them, dressed in long flowing red garments with a horrific lightning bolt scar carving into his right cheek. He wore a top hat which towered eerily above him, causing his purplish face to be almost completely concealed beneath the shadow cast from the brim. When it was removed his silver hair bounced up like a wound spring, his horrible sharp-toothed sneer looked murderous with such blood red lips.

This wasn't a circus; this was a cult.


End file.
